Kansas City Metro COVID Spike Crisis: More Shutdowns?!?!

Again, the numbers are working against local schools and, even worse, staffing shortages have frustrated schools that want to stay open.

Here's a quick TKC update on more headlines concerning this ongoing challenge . . .

Several Kansas City area schools closed because of mass staff shortages from COVID

KANSAS CITY METRO (KCTV) -- Multiple Kansas City area schools canceled class for the middle of this week because of mass staff shortages caused by COVID. The Olathe School District and Kansas City, KS, Public Schools are among the districts that have shut down for Tuesday and Wednesday.

As schools cancel class due to COVID-19, daycares figure out how to take more kids

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Some families across the Kansas City area are having to scramble for childcare as schools called off class last week and now this week. Staffing shortages due to COVID-19 forced the Kansas City, Kansas, and Olathe school districts to cancel classes for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Turner School District updates COVID-19 symptom screening and response in back-to-school plan

The Turner School District in Kansas City, Kansa, is updating their current COVID-19 back-to-school plan despite lots of teachers and students out sick. The new plan says "unmasked and unvaccinated individuals who are close contacts to a positive case may quarantine for 10 days.

Olathe Public Schools working on returning students, staff to classrooms

OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -- As the number of people who are testing positive for COVID-19 keeps rising, many experts say the peak of the Omicron variants could still be weeks away. Staff shortages because of COVID infection is the reason why a few school districts in the metro shut down on Tuesday and Wednesday, including Olathe Public Schools.

Kansas school districts in KC metro explain why they closed

Across Kansas, 27 school districts closed their doors in the last couple of weeks because of COVID-19 related staffing shortages. "We've never called school before for staff attendance ever in our district," said Dr. Brent Yeager, the superintendent for Olathe Public Schools.

Children's Mercy unsure when they'll be able to resume COVID-19 testing due to missing shipment

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Children's Mercy doctors said they have started to run very low on COVID-19 tests due to a shipment of supplies that has yet to arrive, and there is no timeline for when testing will be back up and running.

Developing . . .