By Marcy Axness with reporting by Gary Meyer, TME

The record-breaking covid-19 surge in Kern County led El Tejon Unified School District (ETUSD) officials to cancel classes at all district schools Thursday and Friday, Jan. 20-21, calling snow days due to staff being out. There was uncertainty about whether bus transportation would be offered the following Monday, but parents received the good news on Sunday that buses would be rolling on their normal routes for the week.

Community Vaccine Clinic

Even though classes were not in session at Frazier Park Elementary School on Thursday, Jan. 20, dozens of students, parents and community members received Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines at a clinic coordinated by ETUSD and Kern County Public Health. The clinic will return Thursday, Feb. 10, 9 a.m.–12 noon, for those who wish to get their covid-19 vaccination or booster.

Staffing Shortages Abound

Virtually every industry in the country is wrestling with staffing shortfalls due to covid infections and/or employees needing to quarantine because they have been exposed (whether they become infected or not).

“Airlines, schools, it is everybody,” said Sara Haflich, ETUSD superintendent and Frazier Mountain High School principal, adding, “We are in this big boat together,” riding the waves of uncertainty in this Omicron-driven covid-19 surge.

Mary Highfield, principal of Highland Elementary School in Bakersfield, said in KGET’s January 22 “Kern County in Depth” covid-19 special report, that they are “hanging on by a thread.” Substitute teacher shortages mean their teachers are having to pull double-duty with just 75% of staff available.

Despite the issues, consensus among public health and medical experts is that schools should…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

‘No Mandates. My Body, My Choice’ is on the reverse side of the sign at right.

Bob Mills and son Evan in Lebec Sunday, Jan. 23 for ‘freedom from mandates’ protest; Center: Students and community members await their turns on Thursday at Frazier Park School’s Vaccine Clinic, hosted by ETUSD and Kern County Public Health.

The SnapNurse team offered vaccinations to protect the community from illness.

New state guidance has removed the desk barriers, shown here in 2020 at Frazier Park School. Superintendent Haflich said this has been great for students’ social experience.

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This is part of the January 28, 2022 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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