Educators disagree on change to rules for subs

As students return to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic, school administration face challenges with filling substitute teacher roles.

To help, the state school board approved an emergency rule that starts Monday allowing more people to work as substitutes.

Under this new rule, to qualify as a substitute, somebody needs to be 21-years-old, have earned a high school diploma or equivalent and complete 22 hours of training.

Currently, to be a substitute somebody needs to have 60 college hours, or about two years, completed.

Training is available online through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

It includes topics such as classroom management, instructional strategies, working with special needs and at-risk students and fundamentals, including bullying prevention and leadership.

Those who take this option will still need to pass a background check before hiring and the 60 hours of college work is still an option to qualify as a substitute teacher.

“We do want it to align with current Missouri teacher standards and the research that goes with that,” said Mary Schrag, a state board member out of West Plains.

As it stands, the rule expires at the end of February, but the board is taking comments on making it permanent.

“One of the things we’re going to be doing is we’re going to be trying to measure this,” Schrag said. “We’re going to be assessing this to see the quality and if this is a mechanism that makes sense to continue or if we decide that no, we want to go back to our original standards. We can do that as well ... We’ll have until the end of February to assess it.”

The Missouri National Education Association put out a statement against this move, concerned that it devalues the teacher’s role and undermines student success.

“There are over 200,000 certified educators districts could hire as substitutes,” MNEA President and Poplar Bluff teacher Phil Murray said in a release. “If districts have difficulty hiring substitutes, it’s because educators feel unsafe returning to in-person instruction as COVID-19 infection rates climb.

“…As educators, we spend years learning our profession and building the skills to help students. Thinking a few hours of YouTube-style training is all it takes to support students and manage a classroom does a disservice to the profession of teaching.”

For some districts, remote teaching isn’t an option because of issues with broadband, Schrag said, which means most rural schools are doing as much face-to-face instruction as they can.

On the east side of Schrag’s district, she said, broadband access is much better than on the west side of it. The district expands from the border with Illinois and Kentucky to Wright County and from the Arkansas border north to Festus.

One concern she’s heard from teachers is that they want to ensure integrity and a love for learning.

“They want to make sure the teachers are trained and qualified and they will help facilitate learning for their students,” she said. “I think that’s a valid concern.

“I’m not certain that I believe formal education is the only measure of somebody’s ability to be really effectual.”

Schrag said some teachers and administrators were not dedicated to their school work in high school or college, but later realized what they wanted to do and returned to education.

“I think a lot of times that makes wonderful teachers and administrators because it wasn’t always easy and flawless for them,” she said.

Dr. Scott Dill, Poplar Bluff R-I superintendent, said this rule helps the district keep the doors open.

“The governor has asked us to open schools and so that’s what we’ve done,” he said. “We know that attendance is going to be poor, but I have to have adequate staffing in order to have school.”

There’s an overall teacher shortage in the state, he said, and that applies to substitute teachers as well.

By opening up substitute teaching to more people, it will allow more people to step up.

“That was part of our board discussion, is it more important to have somebody with 60 hours of college education or is it more important to hopefully have a really good sub who can come in and maintain that classroom and not force the schools to take that class, where teachers are sick, and redivide it amongst their other teachers,” Schrag said.

“We can’t do social distancing, so we have that risk there, and I can’t imagine trying to teach 45 young people and really be able to focus in (on their needs).”

Dill said he plans to talk with Three Rivers College about encouraging students to complete the training.

Additionally, he plans to work with area businesses to allow employees to get trained and come in as substitutes.

“We’ve heard throughout the summer how important it is to our local economy that school is in session,” Dill said. “We are going to need some help from the local community to stay in session ... We want our community invested in our schools and I can’t think of a better way to get a front-row seat than to be a substitute teacher.”

The benefit for those who sign up as substitutes, Dill said, is that whether or not they enjoy it, they’ll leave having learned something.

“This can be a foray for people who thought they might enjoy education and really get a chance to see first hand,” Schrag said. “I think for students who are in college, but don’t have a full 60 hours, this opens the doors for them.”

Schrag said in an ideal situation, the board wants substitutes to have as much education and experience as possible, but with current COVID-19 concerns there is an expectation of shortages.

Many substitutes are retired teachers or otherwise in an older generation that has a higher risk of complications with COVID-19 and therefore may be more hesitant to come to school.

“We hoped to make sure we are flexible with the education system so we can provide as good an education to Missouri students as possible,” Schrag said.

It also gives more control to the school district, she continued, by opening up more options for them to fill positions, but also if a substitute is not performing to where the district would like, then the district has the option to discontinue using them.

“Dr. Dill knows what’s best for his school district, as does his administrative team,” she said. “DESE is trying to make sure we do our role of responsibility and oversight to make sure we provide the best education possible to Missouri students, but do it in such a way that local districts can make decisions that are functional and allow for quality teaching.”

Overall, another big concern is to make sure that teachers who don’t feel well don’t feel the pressure to come in and work, Schrag said.

“Their intentions are good,” she continued. “They don’t want to create a hardship on their colleagues and peers, and they know that if they’re not there and there’s not a sub to back them up, that’s what they do ...

“We want someone who’s going ‘I don’t feel like how I should. I’m a little concerned about this’ to be able to go to the doctor (or get tested) ... We want them to be able to stay home.”

“We’re so appreciative of them (substitutes), but there’s also no replacement for that classroom teacher. That is a highly trained individual with content knowledge and pedigree and all the tools needed to be an effective teacher,” Dill said. “Our substitute teachers do an excellent job of helping us plug the gaps ... but really we need our people healthy and we need them at work.”