Caldwell School District announces emergency closures for two days due to COVID-19
The Caldwell School District will be closed Thursday and Friday this week due to the spread of COVID-19.
The district was seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases in schools, along with staffing shortages and student absences, spokesperson Jessica Watts said in a news release Wednesday evening. The school district will not offer remote learning during the two-day closure. Students are expected to return to the classroom Tuesday. (Schools were already closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.)
In a letter to families, Superintendent N. Shalene French said students and staff can access free testing for COVID-19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Caldwell School District office at 1502 Fillmore St.
“There is nothing more important to Caldwell School District than the safety and health of our students, our staff and their families,” French wrote in the email. “We are grateful for the opportunity to serve you and your family, especially as we face this challenging situation together.”
The district’s board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to talk about the emergency school closure.
The Caldwell School District had mandated masks at the beginning of the school year, but the board in November switched the district to a mask-recommended policy after vaccines were made available for children ages 5-11. Watts said in an email that masks will now be required in the district until at least Jan. 21.
The closure comes as COVID-19 cases are surging across Idaho. Schools in the Treasure Valley are reporting high numbers of cases among students and staff since reopening after winter break.
The Boise School District, which has a mask mandate, reported 110 positive cases over the first three days of this week, as of Wednesday evening. The West Ada School District, which has a mask-optional policy, reported 228 total active cases over the past five days, from Jan. 8 to Jan. 12. From Jan. 2 to Jan. 8, the school district had more than 500 positive cases.
The McCall-Donnelly School District in Valley County also closed because of COVID-19 outbreaks.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 6:40 PM.
