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PRIEST RIVER — Staffing shortages on Sept. 30 led to school being canceled Priest River Lamanna High School.

West Bonner County School District Superintendent Paul Anselmo said the school closure was due to seven teachers being out for the day and a lack of substitutes to fill the positions.

Two teachers were out because of COVID, said Anselmo, but other teachers were out for an array of reasons. One educator is out due to a long-term illness, he said.

“It was a perfect storm due to the lack of substitutes in the district. It was bound to happen eventually,” said Anselmo.

The superintendent said teacher absences have to be approved the night before. In this situation, teachers were not off for personal days, he said, adding that sometimes teachers have to stay home with their kids or something comes up.

The high school football game last Saturday against Orofino was canceled last week by Orofino and had no connection to PRLHS being closed that Thursday, said Anselmo.

It is not just in substitutes that the schools are short staffed. WBCSD has open staff positions across all departments.

“We are trying to be creative in filling in gaps, but are at crisis level,” said Anselmo, “Currently the food service director is running a kitchen and the transportation director is driving a bus every day. It is not just the school district, every field is short staffed.”

Lake Pend Oreille School District Superintendent Tom Albertson said at the last school board meeting that there were several schools in the district that are at risk of closing for a day if there is no available staff.

Both school districts are hiring for all departments and taking volunteers. Visit sd83.org or lposd.org for job openings.