HOLLIDAYSBURG — Ten percent of junior and senior high school students and 7% of elementary students were absent Tuesday as Hollidaysburg Area schools resumed in-person classes.

The school board voted 5-4 last week to resume in-classroom learning for all students.

Hollidaysburg Area Superintendent Robert Gildea said there were “no unexpected or unexcused teacher absences.”

A high number of teacher absences was not anticipated to begin with, according to Hollidaysburg Area Education Association President Todd Russell, who said Monday that any teachers absent for non-medical reasons could be subject to termination for insubordination.

Because of health privacy laws, it’s not clear how many teachers were absent for medical reasons.

Gildea voiced support for a hybrid learning model last week, saying the approach would be safer than a full-time, in-person return, though he said the first day back “seemed to go well.”

“The day was relatively normal,” Gildea said. “Our students and staff are incredibly resilient, and most seemed eager to resume their routine and happy to be back.”

Mirror Staff Writer Andrew Mollenauer is at 814-946-7458.