The Waverly Shell Rock Middle School will not be holding classes on Friday due to the funeral of a longtime educator. Penny Toay passed away over the weekend following a battle with ALS.
In an email to parents, the district says that “Penny touched the lives of countless students and colleagues with her compassion and dedication to the field of education. After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel classes for middle school students on Friday, January 9th, so that our staff may attend her funeral service. We understand that this may cause disruptions for families, and we do not take this decision lightly. However, given Penny’s long tenure and strong bonds she built within our school community, we feel it is important to allow our staff the opportunity to grieve and honor her memory together.”
Again, this change only affects middle school students, all other buildings in the district will open as usual. Superintendent David Hill says that the middle school’s original calendar includes more than 50 hours that are “above and beyond” the state requirement, so Friday will not need to be made up.