Classes Canceled For Some Fairfield Students Due To Substitute Shortage

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield educators are working to address a substitute teacher shortage, which, in some cases, has resulted in classes being canceled, officials said.

“We are having difficulty filling our absences when we do have teachers who are not in the classroom,” Colleen Deasy, executive director of personnel and legal services, told the school board during its meeting Tuesday.

Many substitutes are retirees who have chosen not to return to the classroom in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Deasy. Additionally, the state has not waived substitute requirements to the extent that it did during the last school year, instead mandating the district to submit a waiver for substitutes who have a high school diploma and experience working with children, but no bachelor’s degree. It’s also common for substitutes to sign up to teach in more than one school district during the same academic year, Deasy said.

“There is a shortage of people who are eager and willing to come into the buildings and do a really great job for our students,” she said.

Last week, Fairfield Public Schools had to cancel some high school classes due to the lack of substitutes, according to Superintendent Mike Cummings. In other cases, secondary instructors have been asked to relinquish their prep periods in order to cover for absent colleagues, elementary classes have been pooled to accommodate fewer staff and paraprofessionals have been pulled from their classrooms to assist.

Board member Jennifer Jacobsen said that, in a few instances, students had three classes canceled in a four-period school day. Jacobsen confirmed with Cummings that those students would be counted as being in attendance.

The district plans to pull back its timelines for professional learning and curriculum development in order to avoid removing teachers from their classrooms, according to Cummings.

“We’re working on hiring more folks,” Deasy said.

To apply to be a substitute in Fairfield, visit applitrack.com/fairfield/Onlineapp/default.aspx.