BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Some school districts in the Denver metro have canceled a day of classes while they deal with a staff shortage.

Boulder Valley School District

The Boulder Valley School District canceled all classes Friday at all 56 schools in the district because of staffing shortages.

“This day was specific. We had Veterans Day on a Thursday then the weekend, so a day of school was just floating out there,” Randy Barber, the chief communications officer for Boulder Valley School District, said.

Barber said 478 teachers had requested leave for that Friday, Nov. 12, and there simply were not enough subsitute teachers to fill the jobs. So after lots of thought, they decided to cancel school for the day.

“We don’t take this decision lightly,” Barber said.

Barber said the district is in need of subsitute teachers, bus drivers and lunchroom staff. He said right now other businesses, like in the service industry, are offerng compeitive wages, making these school jobs less desirable.

“We just aren’t seeing a lot of folks available for those jobs,” Barber said.

Some parents in the district are worried the staffing inconsistancies in the classroom could be impacting their kids learning.

“With staffing shortages causing them to be out of school, it makes us realize that these are real impacts with us as a family and kids in their learning path,” parent Erin Sizemore said.

Barber said Friday’s cancelation will be treated like a snowday and students won’t have to make up the missed day at the end of the year.

“Its made it tough in a number of ways to keep things moving,” Barber said.

Adams 12, Adams 14 school districts

Other districts across the state are seeing the same problem for Friday, Nov. 12. Both Adams 12 Five Star Schools and the Adams 14 School District canceled classes for Friday.

Adams 12 Five Star Schools issued this statement:

Like many industries across the country, the district is seeing unfilled vacancies for multiple positions in multiple departments. This includes special education teachers, nutrition, para educators, Before and After School (BASE), custodial, preschool, transportation, and guest (substitute) teachers.

We have a total of 143 vacant positions at this time, with the greatest numbers of vacancies in the para educator and guest teacher categories.

The district is hiring and working to recruit applicants for these open positions. As part of these efforts, the district recently increased pay for guest teachers.

Students will not need to make up this school day due to the extra minutes built into our calendar for inclement weather closures.

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

The Adams 14 School District issued this statement:

Due to district staffing shortages, all schools will be closed on Friday, Nov. 12. This
Friday is posing a staffing challenge that we will not be able to overcome due to staffing
shortages. The district closure on Friday, Nov. 12, will be treated as a snow day.

Similar to school districts throughout Colorado, Adams 14 has been facing staffing
shortages this year, especially with our substitute teachers and transportation and
nutrition services departments. We would like to thank our school and district staff, who
have gone above and beyond to cover the staffing shortages.

Additionally, all district schools will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 11, in observance of
Veterans Day. Adams 14 thanks all our veterans for their incredible sacrifice,
commitment, and dedication to our country. As a reminder, meal, transportation and child care services; school clubs; and athletics will be closed on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our families and staff members. Thank you for your understanding.

Adams 14 School District