Teacher absences around the U.S. are spiking as learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of substitute teachers continue to plague the education system, according to The New York Times.
Several states around the U.S. have had big increases in the number of teachers absent, with almost one in five public school teachers in New York City being absent 11 days or more during the 2022-2023 school year, and nearly 15% of teachers in Michigan during any week in the school year, an increase from 10% in 2019, according to the Times. The national shortage of substitute teachers has resulted in teacher absences often being filled by tutors who would otherwise have been helping students make up for pandemic learning losses. (RELATED: Colorado Dems Introduce Bill Forcing Schools To Socially Transition Students Questioning ‘Gender Identity’)
“I think this is having a huge impact on our ability to rebound” from the COVID-19 pandemic, Amanda von Moos, executive director of Substantial Classrooms, a nonprofit that trains and supports substitute teachers, told the Times.
LOUISVILLE, KY – JANUARY 11: Unused desks are seen in an empty elementary school classroom during a…
