800 Hawaii Teachers Call Out Sick In A Single Day … Some schools had to deploy other staff to monitor students as the state Department of Education sought to avoid closures.
Hawaii’s public schools grappled with staffing shortages as 12% of the teaching force was absent on Wednesday, three days after campuses resumed operations following the holidays despite concerns about the omicron-driven Covid surge.
Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said 800 of about 13,500 teachers “called out sick and stayed home today” while another 800 were “out for other reasons. He didn’t provide details. Meanwhile, 400 substitute requests across the 257-school system could not be met, he added.
“This is a reflection of what’s happening in our community,” Hayashi said. “Staffing challenges unfortunately are a statewide issue across all industries.”
