1:28
- ABC News
- January 11, 2021
Schools closed due to teacher sickout over virus
Maricopa County accounts for the highest number of positive cases in the state.
1:28
Maricopa County, where the city of Peoria is located, is the COVID-19 hot spot in the state of Arizona, with 6,109 new positive cases on Monday and 388,518 overall since the pandemic began, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
In Arizona, 8,995 new cases were reported on Monday, according to the state health organization.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/arizona-school-covid-usa-jt-210111_1610384628898_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
More than 900 emails were sent to the school board to request a special session to reassess the learning plan, but the school district has given no indication that it will do so, according to the teacher's union.
On Sunday, the school district posted to Facebook that teachers and school staff could sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Monday.
Five elementary schools and seven high schools in the district are closed due to the teacher absences, according to the school district's website. Two high schools will remain open.
Other nearby school districts have stayed open despite teachers participating in the sickout. At the Dysart Unified School District, 142 teachers have been reported absent, KNXV reported.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/liberty-high-school-ht-jt-210111_1610384433028_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Buses still conducted their normal routes to ensure that no students were left at bus stops, and lunches were offered for curbside pickup during lunch times, according to a letter sent to parents by the school district.
Parents will be notified Monday afternoon whether the closures will continue into Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the school district told ABC News.
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