Redondo Beach Unified classes resume, teacher absences double overnight
by Garth Meyer On Monday, the first day Redondo Unified School District students returned from the holiday break, 35 district teachers were absent. On Tuesday, 62 teachers were absent, or 12 percent of the faculty. During normal times, 24 absent teachers would be a high number, said Nikki Wesley, RBUSD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. Student absence percentages were even higher than that of teachers. According to Annette Alpern, Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Services, 20 percent of students were absent on Monday and 19 percent Tuesday. By comparison, she said, “With flu season, typically in January we see absences of six percent.” The unusually high number of teacher and student absences is attributed to the highly contagious Omicron variant. On Sunday, the day before classes resumed, 17 percent of the 430 teachers and students who took antigen tests, administered by the Beach Cities Health District, tested positive. The tests were given on a first come-first serve basis, in the Redondo Union High School parking. (Antigen tests indicate whether or not the COVID-19 virus is present in the user’s nose, at the time the test is administered.) The tests were all…
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