TAYLOR COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Taylor County Schools will be closed to students and staff Thursday and Friday, September 2 and 3 while the district reassesses and devises new and additional plans in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Taylor County Superintendent confirmed the district will shut down because the elementary school had 22 teachers out at once due to COVID-19, quarantining, or their child having to quarantine.
In a letter, Taylor County School District Superintendent Dr. Danny F. Glover, Jr. said Taylor County Schools have been able to provide safe school environments for students during this time, but it has also encountered challenging daily operating procedures.
Glover said the "heightened operating status" the district enacted due to quarantined staff "has taken a toll on our school sites."
According to the statement, teachers will use Thursday to collaborate on instruction and professional development, and the administration will reassess daily operations.
BBTC will remain open for students on Thursday.
Read the full letter from superintendent Glover below.
Dear Taylor County Schools Family and Community,
Covid has impacted our community in unexpected ways. While we at Taylor County Schools have been able to provide safe school environments for your students during this time, we have also encountered challenging daily operating procedures.
All students have continued to receive high-quality instruction but on the minimum number of staff necessary to run our schools. While we are not having huge increases in Covid among our faculty, our staff, like you, have felt the strain of determining who will stay home with their quarantined student. Our Taylor County Schools family has risen to the occasion to cover daily openings and vacancies in food service, classroom instructors, classroom aides, transportation, and auxiliary positions with site-based office staff, site-based administrators, substitutes, and even district-level administration. However, this heightened operating status has taken a toll on our school sites.
As a preventative measure, we will be closing schools on Thursday and Friday, September 2nd and 3rd. We believe this closure will allow us to reset and proactively devise plans for continued learning for our students this year, whether in schools or at home on quarantine. Our teachers will use Thursday to collaborate on instruction and professional development, and our administration will reassess daily operations. We will use Friday as a non-working day for students and staff in the district to provide time away from our sites. BBTC will remain open for students on Thursday.
We appreciate your support for this decision. We believe we are proceeding with your student's best interests and will continue to honor our commitment to keep them at the forefront of our decision-making.
Dr. Danny F. Glover, Jr.
Taylor County School District
Superintendent of Schools
