Carroll County Schools Faces Teacher Shortage Amid Plans To Switch To Hybrid Learning
WESTMINSTER, Md. (WJZ) -- Carroll County Public Schools is facing a major teacher shortage because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This comes as the district is set to roll out its hybrid back-to-school plan in October.
Carroll County School Board officials said hundreds of teachers have put in leave requests instead of coming back to campus for hybrid learning.
The school board tells WJZ their current plan is to bring students back to the classroom for in-person learning by October 19.
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But, because of coronavirus, almost 300 teachers are not returning due to personal reasons and it's providing a challenge for their ability to staff schools and classrooms.
In a statement to WJZ, the district said they're looking to hire substitute teachers, assign additional employees to classrooms and hire a number of temporary workers to ensure classes have the appropriate coverage.
But it's raising some concerns in the community.
"I'm concerned about our ability to get enough teachers in front of enough students, especially since we have so many students who are coming back to the classrooms in less than a month, and are we going to have enough staff to support them?" Donna Balado, a substitute teacher, said.
The school board said they're having ongoing public meetings ahead of their shift to the hybrid model.
Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, and they plan to further discuss staffing issues.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.