TOPEKA — Dramatic shortage of substitute teachers in Kansas public schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic is prompting the Kansas State Department of Education to consider temporarily modifying license requirements for people seeking part-time work in classrooms, officials said Tuesday.
Teacher retirements, resignations and absences and the anxiety felt by potential substitutes about the coronavirus fuel a daily labor shortage in districts across the state.
The problem prompted some Kansas districts to place adults in classrooms without complying with a requirement that substitute teachers complete 60 hours of courses at an accredited college or university, said Mischel Miller, director of teacher licensure and accreditation at the state Department of Education.
