Chandler Elementary Parents Concerned After Multiple Absences Thursday

Various school systems around the tri-state are closing their doors because of widespread illness. Now some parents of children who attend Chandler Elementary are wanting the superintendent to close the school to allow for deep cleaning and to keep the illness from spreading further.

WFIE is reporting that 138 students were out today at Chandler which is greater than any other school in the district.

Chandler Elementary CPT President, Kristi Jones, posted an open letter to parents this afternoon about the school.

Chandler parents... I’m not usually one to make a fuss but I think this info needs to be told because the flu/stomach bug is rampant in our school. 150 [Chandler] students were out today, that’s over 25% of the student body. This is up from 122 the last 2 days. 45 students are already called in for tomorrow. Obviously it’s only getting worse. Several other schools in other districts have closed in order to give students a chance to recover and staff a chance to deep clean. They are even cleaning their buses to stop the spread of illness. Our Superintendent is not allowing this to happen at Chandler. Our kids are being required to continue going to school, exposing everyone to the quickly spreading viruses. Even our staff has been hit hard and needs time to recoup. With the amount of kids out this week, the teachers aren’t even able to continue lessons because so many will miss the content. I feel that everyone would benefit from Friday and maybe even Monday off to decrease the spread of illness.

And Kristi isn't alone. Other parents also want the school to close to keep the germs at bay. But there are other parents who can't find childcare on such short notice. As a parent, I'd definitely like to spare both my daughter and our family from contracting illness that has sent her classmates to the hospital. Aint nobody got time for that!