AMITE - So many teachers and school staff planned to take the day off before school closes for the Thanksgiving holiday week, the Tangipahoa Parish School System had to cancel in-person classes for the day.

Teaching will be virtual Friday, November 19, because there are not enough substitutes to cover the number of absences, the district said Thursday.  In-person classes will be canceled and done virtually.  Students will return to campus after Thanksgiving, on Monday, November 29.

"Due to a high number of employee requests for leave—compounded with projected absences and a shortage of substitutes to cover classes and other staff duties, Tangipahoa Parish Public Schools will have a full virtual day for learning on Friday, November 19, 2021," the district wrote.

School system administrators are now expected to ask the board to adjust the leave policy.  The district said "other corrective actions" will be made to "keep this from happening again in the future."  The system did not elaborate. 

School employees will report to schools without students Friday and teachers will provide information to classes for virtual learning. 

"...We feel that the shortage in school staff put our students at risk on campus," the district said in outlining why it canceled in-person classes Friday.

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