Teton School District 401 closes school for Monday and Tuesday

DRIGGS, Idaho (KIFI) - Schools in Teton School District 401 will be closed Monday, Jan. 31, and Tuesday, Feb. 1, as the district tries to give their teachers and staff a badly needed boost. The break is meant to help give everyone a chance to catch their breath after the continued stress of staff shortages due to COVID-19.

"Our teachers are resilient, but resilience will only go so far," said Allen Carter, principal at Driggs Elementary School. He spoke at Thursday night's special board meeting. He described the struggles they are facing during the recent surge.

"Yes, staff are getting pretty tired. It is because they are filling so many gaps. They are covering so many duties. When a person or two people go out, that's eight duties, twelve duties that pop up that other people need to come in and fill in," Carter said.

School classes were already out on Friday due to parent/teacher conferences. The school board decided having Monday and Tuesday off as well would give teachers and staff a full five days to rest their bodies and their minds.

Megan Christiansen, principal at Victor Elementary School, also spoke at Thursday's meeting. "My staff has been spent. They're exhausted. They are so spent right now that I don't know that it's healthy to even be in school," Christiansen said.

School is expected to be back in session on Wednesday. The board hopes this will give everyone a chance to recharge and be ready for the challenges that are still to come.