The Bemidji Area School District will remain closed for the remainder of the week, through Friday, January 21, due to high COVID-19 numbers and other illnesses.

In a letter sent out to parents and staff Tuesday night, school officials say the district continues to struggle with the capacity to remain open and to adequately staff facilities. Because of the emergency closure, all scheduled activities will be canceled and any scheduled facilities use will also be canceled.

According to the letter, district staff will spend the next three days preparing for a potential move to distance learning and distributing devices to students who will need them to participate in distance learning. A determination regarding any move to distance learning will be made by this Friday. At that time, an announcement will be made on whether or not it will be implemented, which grade levels may be impacted, and what time period they expect to remain in distance learning.

The district says it will prioritize in-person learning for elementary students based on staffing capacity.

By — Lakeland News