WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Saturday the Williamsville School Board put out a statement saying its members were unaware of the superintendent's decision to delay the start of the school year for students in fifth through 12th grade who are in the fully remote learning model.
The statement reads in part, "This news of the remote start delay came as a surprise on Friday evening."
It went on to say, "We sincerely apologize to the families that are impacted by this last-minute decision and we will work with the district to ensure students in grades 5-12 who are in the remote online learning model can start their school year as soon as possible."
The letter from the superintendent that came out Friday addressed the reasons for the decision.
It said in part, "During the planning process, we had 2,361 students elect to participate in the fully remote online learning model. Of those students, 1,375 are at the middle and high school levels, which created more than 80 virtual teacher vacancies in the district. We are working diligently to fill those positions to begin instruction in the fully remote online learning model for students in grades 5-12. Simultaneously, the district has had 90 staff members take a leave of absence due to COVID-19 and 111 staff members resign."
However, the Williamsville Teachers' Association said that is not the full story.
A post on the association's Facebook page broke down the numbers, adding, "this doesn't sound like a problem caused by the teachers."
To view the statement from the Williamsville Teachers' Association, click here.
Sunday at 11 a.m. the Williamsville School Board will be holding a special board meeting.
The board's statement explained, "As part of the special board meeting, the Williamsville School Board will be meeting in executive session. We will further discuss the reopening plan during our regular board meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 2020."