Some schools in Shasta County are reporting a substitute teacher shortage as a result of the pandemic.
Judy Flores, superintendent for the Shasta County Office of Education, said the shortage has at times forced some schools to revert to distance learning.
“Approximately 20 percent of our substitutes are people 65 and older and many of those people are not willing this year to sub and be available for schools.” She said. “We actually have seen the lowest number of substitutes available in many years. I don’t know if we’ve seen a year with as few substitutes as we have now.”
Flores added that 37 public schools in Shasta County have had to close for a window of time at some point during the pandemic.
The primary reason, she said, was that there were no substitutes available to replace staff members who were unable to come into school due to COVID-19.