January 21, 2022
Dear Parents, Patrons, and WSD Staff,
As I am sure that you are aware, we are currently experiencing a surge of cases of COVID in our community and in our schools. This comes at a time when the flu, common cold, and other ailments are prevalent as well. The result is increasing absenteeism by both students and staff.
One of our goals is to keep our schools open for in-person learning to the extent possible. Staff absenteeism, at any school or within any department including individual schools, grade levels, transportation department, food services, custodial, or within programs such as athletic programs, will be a contributing factor. We will continue to evaluate conditions on a daily basis. Please do your part and help us maintain uninterrupted school schedules and continued school events.
Please:
1) Stay home if you are ill, and keep children home if they are ill
2) Do not attend events if you are ill
3) Practice excellent hygiene and encourage your children to do the same
4) We encourage wearing a quality mask when physical distancing is not possible inside schools
5) Contact your primary care physician (and/or refer to national and local guidelines) and follow their advice for return to work/school following a positive or suspected COVID infection or exposure
For the time being we will be posting information as to the number of positive cases of COVID that are reported to district and school officials. It is important to note that we only post positive cases that are reported to us by parents and staff. We do not report suspected or likely cases.
The WSD website will have a new look in the near future. We hope that you will find the new site to be easier to navigate and more interactive. In addition, the new site includes a new mass notification system that will enhance our ability to provide all calls, email parents, and provide other social media notices more efficiently. We hope to have that system up and running within the next few days.
We are still actively seeking to add substitute teachers to our current pool of substitutes. Having a strong pool of substitutes is essential for us in order to keep schools open during times when we see high absenteeism. We are continuing to provide bonus incentives for substitute teachers during the second semester. We will be holding a substitute training in the coming days, so please contact the District Office at 208-414-0616 if you are interested in this opportunity to assist your local school district’s efforts. Stay safe and thank you for your continued support.
Wade Wilson, Superintendent
