All Norwich public schools will be closed Friday as the school district faces a major staffing shortage.
Over 130 staff members had already called in as absent Thursday night and only 40 people were available to cover them, officials said.
"For the past two weeks, we have been using every resource at our disposal to cover the mass staff absences we have been experiencing. However, we do not have the personnel to cover this number of vacancies," Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow said in a statement.
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The number of absences is expected to increase significantly by the time school starts, the district said.
The absences for the school district are as follows:
- 3 nurses
- 4 assistant principals
- 1 principal
- 56 teachers
- 33 para-professionals
- 6 registered behavioral technicians
- 1 BCBA
- 5 social workers
- 1 psychologist
- 2 school counselors
The school district said the day will need to be made up in June because a remote learning day is not possible.
"I am truly sorry for the inconvenience this decision will create for child care coverage. Safety is our ultimate priority," Stringfellow said.
Norwich Free Academy will remain open Friday. However, Norwich buses will not run to the school.
Norwich Tech is not part of the Norwich Public Schools system.
