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Parents and teachers tell Decatur SD 61 board substitute shortages and lack of accountability are harming students
Summary
Multiple speakers at the March 4 Decatur SD 61 board meeting said chronic substitute-teacher shortages and contract rules that split students across classrooms are disrupting instruction and costing the district money; teachers urged changes to retention and accountability practices.
At the March 4 meeting of the Decatur Public School District 61 Board of Education, parents and teachers urged the board to address chronic substitute-teacher shortages and what they described as a widening lack of academic accountability.
The concerns came during the public participation portion of the meeting, where members of the public are allowed three minutes to speak and board members do not respond. "Since I was here last, my name is Abby Steele. My daughter has now spent more than the equivalent of the academic month of December in a split amongst other classrooms," said Abby Steele, a licensed social worker and parent. Steele said…
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