by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Schools in Machias and East Machias will adjust their holiday break schedules to offer a little more time at home, hoping to break a cycle of sickness and give their teachers additional rest after a challenging few months. Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School (RMG), Machias Memorial High School, and Elm Street Elementary School will go remote for the full days of Dec. 20 and 21, and half day of Dec. 22, and break will run through Sunday, Jan. 2.

A.O.S. 96 Superintendent Scott Porter said other area schools will consider the same change later this week. The adjustment is a response, in part, to the nation’s and region’s pervasive labor shortage.

“It has been a struggle to find subs and in some cases teachers are covering for other teachers when subs are not available,” said Porter. “Teachers have gone above and beyond the call of duty to keep our schools open. They need a longer Christmas break to recharge for the coming winter months.”

Last week, RMG conducted a parent survey to see if parents preferred the remote option to an in-school or hybrid alternative for the final week. Principal Sue Dow sent a letter notifying parents the majority preferred to go fully remote, and that students will be supplied with some work for those days.

“Given the shortage of substitute teachers and the high rates of illness with teachers and students alike, each school day seems to be a juggling act in terms of providing supervision for classes and getting materials out to absent students,” wrote Dow. “The extra time at vacation might be helpful in terms of breaking the cycle of illnesses and absences.”

Though some schools are seeing cases of COVID-19, season colds and flu are also taking their toll, Porter said.

“Our teachers and staff need a well deserved break. We have seen a few teachers resign or take a leave of absence already, so we need to keep our teachers healthy so they can finish the year,” said Porter.