The latest COVID-19 surge caused by the omicron variant has caused a substitute teacher shortage in Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District.
According to GCISD spokeswoman Kristin Snively, the district needed the service of 147 substitute teachers. However, only eighty-one were available to take up the work due to the omicron variant outbreak. By Monday, only seventy-seven teachers showed up for work.
In an interview with WFAA News, O.C. Taylor Elementary School Principal Lisa Pedevilla said she has never seen anything remotely close to the present situation in her thirty years on the job.
She also said other staff members such as the counselor, librarian, and people from the central office are filling the gap to ensure students are not left without support to avoid disobeying instructions.
Snively revealed that the district combines classes and directs available office staff members to serve as substitutes.