Teacher shortage prompts Comstock schools to move online

Comstock Public Schools announced on Tuesday it is shutting down in-person classes for the rest of the month.

What happened: In October, Comstock schools decided to open up in-person classes to all of its schools. That preceded a month of rising COVID-19 infection rates across the county that has made it difficult for the district to keep teachers and other staff.

In a letter to the community, Superintendent Jeffrey Theones said the district can’t continue to operate as usual.

“We simply cannot sustain our in-person educational options due to an insufficient number of teachers and staff able to report to work,” he said.

What’s next: Most of the district’s schools move to virtual classes Wednesday. Comstock Elementary and Comstock Early Learning Academy will move to virtual classes Thursday. All schools will continue to have virtual classes until at least early December.

Theones said the Board of Education will reassess the situation at its next board meeting on November 23.