Southeast Missouri schools shuttered as illness surge hits students and staff

SIKESTON — A recent surge in illness cases has forced several Southeast Missouri schools to temporarily close to allow students and staff to recuperate.

According to Dr. Bradley Kolwyck, superintendent of Scott County R-4 “Kelly” School District, due to the rising amount of sickness for staff and students in their district, school was not in session on Thursday, Jan. 30, Friday, Jan. 31. These were not Alternative Methods of Instruction, or AMI, days, the superintendent said.

“Our decision to close had more to do with our staff and our trending student attendance,” Kolwyck said. “We were seeing student attendance for the week dwindling down to the low 80th percentile range, and our staff absences were increasing. Then, there was also a lack of substitute teachers due to them being sick as well.

Kolwyck continued: “We were having a lot more difficulty covering classrooms so we made the decision to shut down while we can and give our students and staff a chance to recover.”

The Kelly district was previously scheduled to be closed Monday, Feb. 3. Kolwyck said students and staff were expected to return Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Flu and COVID are among the illnesses Kowlyck said the district was seeing.

East Prairie R-2 School District also closed Thursday and Friday and were expected to return on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Both days were AMI days and students were told to bring home packets, work and Chromebooks.

Madelyn Branam with East Prairie schools, said a district, student attendance was in the 81st percentile-range, and flu has been the main source of sickness.

“We also had quite a few staff members out as well,” Branam said.

Other schools in the area that have closed due to student and staff illness include Chaffee R-2, Kelso C-7 in New Hamburg, Charleston, New Madrid County R-1, The Christian Academy in Sikeston and several others.