Alva Review-Courier -

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Little Rock's schools shut down for two days starting Monday after hundreds of staff members called in sick, though the local teachers' union hinted that the absences are tied to ongoing complaints about the state's control of the district.

The Little Rock School District announced late Sunday afternoon that it had cancelled classes for the first two days of the week after more than 250 staff members called in sick. The 23,000-student district said the number of absences nearly doubled from recorded absences the previous week.

"We apologize for this inconvenience and l...