Affected by the outbreak of the epidemic, the labor force in all walks of life in the United States has been greatly reduced, and doctors and teachers have become the "hardest hit areas" of labor shortage. To make up for the labor shortage, the U.S. state of Kansas plans to hire teenagers who have graduated from high school as substitute teachers.
According to fox news network Kansas branch reported on January 12, the Kansas State Board of Education approved an emergency statement on the 12th, temporarily relaxing the minimum qualification requirements for substitute teachers in school districts. The new rules only require applicants who are at least 18 years old, have a high Chinese credentials, pass a background check, and fill out an application form to become a substitute teacher for the rest of the school year.
Screenshot of the report
A substitute teacher from a high school in Kansas Image source: Fox News Station
Previously, substitute applicants were required to complete at least four semesters of 60 credits of full-time coursework in order to obtain a substitute license. Randy Watson, the state's education commissioner, reportedly told board members that, to his knowledge, at least four school districts were on the verge of school closures due to teacher shortages.
Derby Public Schools in southeastern Kansas, which began recruiting school teachers immediately after lowering the bar, tweeted: "Having a stable and reliable substitute teacher is essential to provide students with an exceptional educational experience." Now even if you only sign up for substitute classes two days a month, it will bring great changes to our school. ”
The relaxation of the rules for substitute teachers has sparked a lot of resentment, with Melanie Haas, a member of the Kansas State Board of Education, calling the measure a "last resort," she said, and some teachers were outraged by the lowering of the standard because it made them feel "degraded."
Before the outbreak, many school districts in the United States suffered from teacher shortages, and the NEW CROWN epidemic has made this situation even worse. As the teacher gap increases, substitute teachers are more and more frequently called up by schools to fill teacher vacancies and ensure normal teaching.
According to the Associated Press reported on January 10, in Hawaii, 1600 teachers and staff missed classes on the 5th due to illness or pre-arranged vacation. In Virginia, schools hire college students to teach. Elsewhere, some school districts have raised salaries to attract more substitute teachers, while others have urged parents to help fill the gap.
For example, Austin, the head of a school district in Palo Alto, California, issued an initiative in the form of a video on the 9th, asking parents of students to volunteer and engage in work including catering services, logistics, administrative assistants and classroom assistance in primary and secondary schools. He said the volunteers need to be vaccinated and tested for nucleic acid. In addition to parents, high school students can also apply to join during times that do not conflict with the curriculum.
San Antonio's Northside Independent School District told local CBS television Station Kansas this week that substitute teachers currently teach in 60 percent of their school district's classes, and the district is likely to relax normal requirements for substitute teachers to have at least 90 hours of college credit.
In New Haven, Connecticut, hundreds of teachers were absent every day this week, relying on administrative staff to fill the vacancies. Blattto, president of the New Haven Teachers' Federation, asked, "We've been tested too much, how long can this be like this?" ”
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