The Arizona Board of Education has loosened substitute teacher rules to combat COVID-19-related shortages in schools.
The board unanimously voted Monday to set aside the rule limiting certified subs to 120 days of work. Instead, they'll be free to work as long as necessary.
Erin Hart is with advocacy group Education Forward Arizona.
“The pandemic has significantly impacted our teacher workforce, as you all know. As a result, the need for substitute teachers has become significant and has created a shortage of available subs," Hart said.
Hart says despite this rule change, there is still more work to be done to build a bigger pool of qualified substitutes and to address the ongoing teacher shortage.
