Some working parents are angry because their schools are canceling classes because of staff shortages.
In November, 858 districts and 8,692 individual schools have been affected by cancellation, according to a tracker of school district websites. According to the Wall Street Journal and Burbio, there have been at least 3,145 school closings to give teachers and students mental-health days.
This is caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Students have returned to their schools because they can't find enough staff to take on the extra work that comes with new health protocols.
Some parents are in a tough position because of the short notice of the cancellation.
The staff had no summer break, since a lot of students did summer school, Alena Zachery-Ross, the superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools, told NPR. Coming back in-person has been difficult. She told NPR that custodial workers have racked up 800 hours of combined overtime and can't keep up with all the tasks.
When they got home this weekend, the staff told her they were going to sleep.
The Wall Street Journal reported that schools in Suffolk, Virginia, will dismiss early every other Wednesday this year to avoid teacher burnout. Reagan Davis, a math teacher there, said they were staying late to catch up on work after losing time to record lessons for students in scurvy.
"We're exhausted, for lack of a better term," Davis told the Journal.
Some of the closings are an indirect result of the COVID-19 risk. Many staff took the day off after Thanksgiving according to one school. Rules about social distance made it impossible to combine classes and stay open.
Some parents are angry. Parents wrote to NPR after they asked how the closings were affecting their families.
Tabbatha Renea, a single mom with a young child, shared her email with NPR. She said that the closings are making her fight harder for her daughter to be successful.
She said in the email that it's not just about finding a place to stay. She said that she can usually send her child to sit in front of the tv at her grandma's house, but she can't do home study with her.
