OZARK, Mo. — Ozark school district officials say too many staff members are absent and the district can’t effectively maintain operations, so Ozark schools will be closed the rest of the week. An update from the district says staff has worked to keep this from happening, but the district believes this is in everyone’s best interest.

Ozark schools will be closed Wednesday, January 15 through Friday, January 21. There will be no virtual learning. Students will not have to make up days, but that could change if there are many more closures due to weather or COVID-19.

The district said in a statement, “We are hoping this break will help give people time to get healthy and drastically decrease our students and staff absence numbers. We believe in-person learning is what’s best for our students, and at this point, we plan to be back in person on Monday, Jan. 24. We will notify families on Sunday, Jan. 23 on our status.”

Ozark officials also added, “Many types of illness, including COVID-19, are running through our buildings. If you are not feeling well, please stay home, rest, and get better.”