Parents in Texas stepping in as substitutes amid staffing shortages

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- A school in Austin is turning to parents for help with staffing shortages at school as COVID-19 cases rise.

Substitute teachers at the Austin Jewish Academy are now almost exclusively parents. The school said that's because parents are the only ones available to help at this point.

"It's really tough on a day we have teachers who need to be home because they've had a positive diagnosis," Principal Chris Augero said.

But they're not the only ones. Hays CISD is also calling on parents, and anyone else, to fill in the paid substitute teacher jobs as soon as possible. In total, the district said it needs 281 subs, which is 100 more than what the district typically needed per day.

"The bar is not super high right, pass the background check and fingerprinting, come through a training, show that they've got the right disposition to think on their feet, make executive decisions," said Hays CISD chief communication officer Tim Savoy.