PULASKI CO., Va. – Pulaski County Public Schools scheduled four Friday virtual days in October due continuing issues with staffing. As we’ve reported, there have been multiple issues this school year. Pulaski County went virtual for the last Friday in September as well.
10 News talked with Pulaski County Superintendent Dr. Kevin Siers in September and he said there was a point, “When we were averaging over 40 employees and they were out because they were quarantining for a positive diagnosis or an exposure.”
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The superintendent said there were six vacant bus driver positions and seventeen vacant teaching positions Friday, October 1.
“The consistent shortages are beginning to take a toll on the ability of our educators to sufficiently plan for instruction and provide feedback to students because they are frequently having to use their planning periods to cover for employees who are out and for whom substitutes could not be secured. Teachers are also having to spend longer periods of time on bus duty in the afternoons to help supervise students whose bus routes have been impacted by the shortage of drivers,” said Superintendent Kevin Siers in a post on the school system’s website.
Siers went on to say, “We know from examining our previous employee attendance data for the year and looking at upcoming leave requests that Fridays are going to be incredibly difficult to staff during the month of October. We simply do not have enough substitutes, who are available to work on Fridays, to cover the scheduled and unscheduled absences.”
This is the following plan for virtual instruction for October in Pulaski County:
1. Friday, October 8, 2021 will be an asynchronous virtual day for Pulaski County Middle, Critzer Elementary, & Pulaski Elementary.
2. Friday, October 15, 2021 will be an asynchronous virtual day for Pulaski County High School, Riverlawn Elementary, Dublin Elementary, & Snowville Elementary.
3. Friday, October 22, 2021 will be an asynchronous virtual day for all schools.
4. Friday, October 29, 2021 is a scheduled day off for all students.