There’s an extra day off for students in USD 253 Emporia schools next week.
The district had planned for students not to attend school on Thursday or Friday for parent-teacher conferences. Now Wednesday has been added as a non-school day for students, the district’s first of the current COVID-19 surge.
Certified and classified staff will have a half-day of professional development Wednesday, with a half-day workday to follow. Staff schedules for Thursday and Friday will not change.
USD 253 says the extra off day may help to slow the spread of the virus, which has led to over 2,000 new cases across Lyon County just in January. The district had 56 staff positives this week, with a nearly even split at the elementary and secondary levels. The total is nearly double the 32 noted by USD 253 from Jan. 7-13. Student positives were at 191 for this week, up slightly from the 188 the prior week.
USD 253 is hoping to reopen Maynard Early Childhood Center on Monday after keeping the facility closed all this week due to COVID caseload. Word on that plan is currently pending.
Lyon County’s other public school districts, USD 251 North Lyon County and USD 252 Southern Lyon County, have not announced non-school days so far. Neither have Emporia Christian School or Sacred Heart, and neither have other area districts — although Waverly Junior-Senior High closed Friday due to COVID. USD 243 Lebo-Waverly has not said whether the closure at Waverly will extend to Monday.
