Chamberlain High had 24 buses running, but the most students on any bus was eight. One bus didn’t show up to the school at all—apparently it made its run but had no students.

Classrooms were empty and a few students were working on computers but some were playing cards, others were just sitting and looking bored. Closed circuit televisions were showing school board approved videos, which will be running all day. With the possibility of 2,100 students coming or not coming to school today, said Jeff Boldt, principal, “it’s a little bit of a relief.”

They combined some classes and Boldt said teachers were told they could work one-on-one work with students, make-up work. Students marveled at the few students in the hallways between classes. “You can’t exactly teach today,” said teacher Janet Naaktgeboren. Four students showed up in her honors geometry class and she “adopted” one from another class. They were playing “mathematical Yahtzee” game.

The school asked kids to sign up for pre-excused absences at the beginning of the week and they had stacks of them, said Boldt. When Boldt saw one of them in the hallway this morning, he asked him what he was doing at school. “He just wanted to come and see who was here.”

Get Weekly Deals | Write a letter to the editor | Subscribe and get two weeks free | Place an Ad