Substitute teachers could be scarce if coronavirus spreads in classrooms

Tricia Latulippe is a substitute teacher for two Cherokee County elementary schools where she’s missed spending time with children and is looking forward to going back in August — but she has reservations.

“How is it possible to social distance in a classroom of 25 to 30?” she said. “Instead of saying ‘no talking,’ it will be replaced by ‘mask this, mask that, wash your hands, sanitize your desk and everything you touched.’ What position does that put teachers and administrators in? It seems like an impossible task to expect of employees.”

Cherokee County, like most other Georgia school systems that have announced reopening plans, plans to offer either face-to-face instruction with additional safety measures or distance learning over the internet. Employees will be required to wear masks when social distancing is not possible, but students will not.

Substitute teachers like Latulippe could be in high demand as state guidelines suggest any teacher, student or other school employee exposed to COVID-19 quarantine for 14 days before returning to school.

Read more: https://georgiarecorder.com/2020/07/15/substitute-teachers-could-be-scarce-if-coronavirus-spreads-in-classrooms/