Seattle, Bellevue and Kent schools to close Friday due to lack of staff

Seattle and Bellevue students will get to enjoy a four-day weekend this week as both Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the Bellevue School District announced Tuesday that classes would be canceled on Friday, Nov. 12, due to staffing issues.

On Wednesday, the Kent School District followed suit and also canceled classes for students on Friday citing staff and substitute shortages. The canceled day will be made up on March 15.

In an email to parents sent Tuesday afternoon, SPS said that is does not have "adequate personnel to open schools" on Friday. SPS spokesperson Tim Robinson said that over 600 educators had requested a substitute as of last week.

"As part of our effort to ensure the highest quality environment for student learning, all SPS schools will be closed Friday, November 12. There will be no in-person or remote instruction on this day," wrote SPS. "We are aware of a larger than normal number of SPS staff taking leave on Friday."

Students do not have class on Thursday, Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day. SPS officials said the additional canceled day would be added to the end of the 2021-2022 school year to ensure students receive full educational hours.

"The number of leave requests on a Friday after a federal holiday is indicative of the fatigue our staff and students are experiencing in these months of the return to classroom," Robinson said in a statement to the SeattlePI. "The four-day weekend may offer physical, mental, and emotional restoration."

Bellevue school officials cited staffing shortages, anticipated inclement weather and COVID-19 restriction as cause for the closure. Jan. 28 will be the makeup day for Bellevue students.

"Some of the creative solutions we have provided in the past with staff shortages, will not work with the COVID-19 restrictions. For example, combining classes is not an option at this time," wrote the district.

Other staffing issues have also caused challenges for the local school districts this year. Last month, SPS was forced to indefinitely suspend 142 bus routes due to a lack of drivers, impacting over 6,700 students.