Keeping school doors open at Palo Alto Unified School District in California has required the assistance of more than 700 parent volunteers, Zusha Elinson reports for the Wall Street Journal. Elinson reports more than 170 teachers and staff members are currently out sick across the district’s 18 elementary, middle and high schools due to the surge in cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19. According to Burbio Inc., more than 6,200 schools nationwide were closed at least one day in the second week of January due to the pandemic. Since last week, parents like Fang Xue have taken shifts working in any role that doesn’t require a certificate or background check including custodians, food-service workers or COVID-19 testing aides. Xue, like many other parents in the district, works for a tech company in the area. Both parents and educators saw this solution as the best way to keep in-person classes going. “It’s better for the kids so we should try whatever we can,” Xue said.