VERNONIA, Ore. — The Vernonia School District postponed the first day of school for two weeks after a bus driver died of COVID-19 and others had to quarantine.
The district is now scheduled to start on Monday, Sept. 20, instead of Tuesday, Sept. 7, Superintendent Aaron Miller said in a social media post over the weekend.
"Our transportation department has had an employee die of Covid-19, while others have been placed in quarantine," he wrote. "Because of this we are unable to bus students to and from school due to a lack of available drivers."
School employees were still scheduled to go to work on Tuesday as scheduled.
Superintendent Miller offered condolences for those affected by COVID-19 in the small community, located about 45 minutes northwest of Portland.
He also included an apology for issuing the notice just two days before school was initially scheduled to start.
"My sincere apologies for the late notice and the hardships that I know it will have on your family with sudden childcare needs and other related issues," he wrote. "Postponing the start of school is not something we take lightly, but as you have heard, has become a necessary step."
He said information about changes to the school athletics schedule would be released as it becomes available.
