Struggling With Substitute Teacher Shortage, COVID-19, North Suburban School District Turns To Virtual Substitutes Who Can Log In From Around Country

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- A pandemic and a substitute teacher shortage seemed like a bad mix to one suburban school district.

So they found a solution – virtual teachers, dialing in and connecting with students, answering their questions from across the country.

As CBS 2's Tim McNicholas reported, you'll find hundreds of kids scurrying to their next lesson in the schools of North Shore School District 112 – which is headquartered in Highland Park.

"Our preference is real in person learning," said District 112 Supt. Mike Lubelfeld.

But Lubelfeld is just as concerned with the kids you don't see in the halls.

"We've had from 12 children on quarantine, to nearly 300 children on quarantine the first week back from break," he said.

That poses a question – how do continue to teach those kids stuck at home?

The district doesn't want to overburden teachers with remote and in-person double duty.
So why not bring in substitutes for e-learning?

"We have a significant, almost critical, shortage of substitute teachers," Lubelfeld said.

So the district turned to a company called Proximity Learning, which now provides North Shore District 112 with 24 certified virtual teachers from across the country.

One of them is Melissa Walter, who sent us a demo lesson to show us how it works after our Zoom interview.

"There's a teacher shortage, but here I am in Pennsylvania – able to bridge that gap and help the students," Walter said. "I work with children who are at home on quarantine, for grades 2, 3 and kindergarten."

Walter showed us her set up where she teaches live for a few hours every day – dividing her time between those three grades. The quarantined kids spend part of their day with their Proximity Learning teacher and the rest on take-home lessons assigned by their regular teacher.

"We've been receiving mixed feedback," Lubelfeld said. "We've received, 'Oh my gosh, this is incredible.' We've received, 'We really would prefer our regular teacher.'"

Lubelfeld said it is no substitute for in-person learning. But he calls it a great solution at a time when solutions are in high demand.

"It's been very difficult on everybody," he said.

The virtual teaching is all set up just like a Zoom so the students can interact and talk to the teachers.

The district paid for those virtual teachers using COVID relief funds.