


Two school districts in Kentucky have canceled classes for a few days due to a number of students and staff coming down with various respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
Earlier this week, the Lee County School District in eastern Kentucky canceled classes for two days and offered remote classes for the next two days due to "student and staff illness."
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The school district, which has been in session since Aug. 8, reportedly had nearly 20% of students and staff call out sick on Monday, CNN reported. The district superintendent, Earl Ray Shuler, said the illnesses included "flus and colds." The district enrolls just shy of 900 students at two schools.
Before students return to in-person classes on Monday, the schools will be cleaned and sanitized. Any student who tested positive for COVID-19 will be required to wear a mask for five days.
In Magoffin County Schools, classes were outright canceled on Thursday and Friday due to "widespread illness," the district announced on its Facebook page.
District Superintendent Chris Meadows told CNN that the school district had seen attendance drop from 95% to 83% this week, prompting the cancellation. The district has five schools and 2,000 students, according to U.S. News and World Report.
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“We just kept seeing a trend,” the superintendent told the outlet. “It’s not an easy decision, I don’t like to close school ... This is the time students are getting acclimated."
The absences have not just affected students, but also staff, including teachers and bus drivers, Meadows said. Classes will resume in-person on Monday.