COLUMBUS – Principals, superintendents and counselors are filling in as substitutes in classrooms around the United States as the surge in coronavirus infections further strains schools already struggling with staffing shortages.
The vast majority of districts around the U.S. appear to be returning to in-person learning after winter break but other large school systems have gone back to remote learning as infections soaring, sidelining staff members.
The Columbus City Schools canceled classes, as well as athletic and extracurricular activities, Friday due to a shortage of bus drivers. Several schools in the state’s largest district had been using remote learning all week due to staffing issues.
Dozens of employees from the central office in Cincinnati were dispatched this week to schools at risk of having to close because of low staffing. Schools in Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, N.J. and Milwaukee also switched to remote learning.
Classes in Chicago were canceled for a third consecutive day amid an ongoing fight with the teachers’ union over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety protocols, leaving frustrated parents to juggling home and work schedules.
The superintendent of Boston schools tweeted she was filling in for a fifth grade teacher.
San Francisco’s school system asked any employees with teaching credentials to be available for classroom assignments. Some teachers say they are dealing with overwhelming stress just trying to keep classes running.
Ohio Guard troops deploy to hospitals
Gov. Mike DeWine met with members of the Ohio National Guard at the Defense Supply Center Columbus on Thursday as the Guard reported for duty in hospitals around the state.
DeWine has ordered 2,300 Guard members into hospitals to relieve pressure on overworked staff as the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 continues to hit record highs.
He expressed frustration with the low vaccination rate among Ohio Army National Guard soldiers. Reportedly, only 53% of Guard soldiers were vaccinated, making them ineligible to have contact with patients. Statewide, 58.8% of eligible Ohioans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The state Health Department says a record 6,536 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Thursday, filling more than one of every four beds statewide.
The state reported Thursday that the number of new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations decline for the third day in a row, though they remain at very high levels.
Illness closes landmark German Village restaurant
If you get a craving for a Bahama Mama this week, you’ll have to find a Schmidt’s food truck.
Schmidt’s Sausage Haus Und Restaurant is temporarily closing its German Village location of because of illness among the staff.
“Key members of the Schmidt’s Sausage Haus Und Restaurant team and their families are unfortunately dealing with Covid. We have made the decision to close in order to give everyone a week-long break to get healthy,” restaurant officials said in a statement.
One Schmidt’s Sausage Trucks will be posted in front of the restaurant’s Kossuth Street location, weather permitting, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day, according to the restaurant’s owners.
The restaurant is expected to reopen on Jan. 14.