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J.O. Combs School District in need of substitute teachers for in-person instruction
School officials say they usually have about 70 subs in their database in a regular school year, but now they are experiencing a shortage due to COVID-19 concerns.
PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. - A Pinal County School District was forced to cancel classes after dozens of teachers called out the week of Aug. 17, the week school district was set to start in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the J.O. Combs Unified District is still working on a plan to reopen in-person, they're also looking for substitute teachers to cover classes.
In a typical school year, the district has about 60-70 subs in their database. Right now, that number is lower.
"Since there have been common concerns with returning to the classrooms, we now have that number in our database running at 25 available subs," said Kayla Fulmer, director of marketing and community relations with the district.
Just last week, more than 100 teachers called out due to concerns of the district not meeting state health benchmarks, forcing the district to scrap plans for in-person learning for now.
"It would be fair to say that the sub shortage certainly impacted our recent issues with insufficient staffing. When we had those high volumes of call-outs and we did not have enough subs to fill in those classrooms, it impacted our need to then cancel school," Fulmer said.
She says even if the call-outs didn't happen, the district still needs subs.
Last week, the governing board held a special meeting voting to resume virtual learning immediately.
In a statement given to FOX 10, Dave Nelson, president of the teachers union and a high school teacher in the district, says he encourages anyone who is qualified to apply.
"Our kids and teachers will need that support especially during this unprecedented time of pandemic. We are working with Dr. Wyman to refine and prepare for the safe return of our students. We do regret the high emotional toll that this pandemic and the lack of state and federal leadership has caused. I agree with Dr. Wyman the deep divide we are experiencing is the direct result of the governor's lack of decision and clearly defined expectations," he said.
The district's governing board will meet again this Aug. 27. If the state benchmarks are reached, the district plans to resume in-person learning on Monday, Aug. 31.