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Board adopts policy change allowing uncertified daily substitutes for assignments up to 60 days as state law permits
Summary
Following public testimony from the Greenwich Education Association and classroom teachers, the board adopted a policy aligning the district with recent state language that allows uncertified daily substitutes to remain in the same assignment for up to 60 school days; teachers and union leaders urged caution and protections for special education.
The Greenwich Board of Education voted 7–0 to update district policy to mirror state language permitting uncertified daily substitutes to remain in a single assignment for up to 60 school days when a certified long-term substitute cannot be secured.
What the change is: Under the amended policy, the district may employ a person lacking a State Department of Education substitute authorization for the same classroom assignment for a period not to exceed 60 school days. The board and administration said the change aligns district practice with Public Act 23-59 (Section 8) and is intended to avoid removing in-place teachers for coverage when a certified sub is unavailable.
Public comment and staff concerns: Members of the Greenwich Education Association (GEA), including President Margaret Jackins and Vice President of Membership (name not specified), urged that the policy not reduce instructional continuity for students. GEA speakers argued that uncertified daily substitutes often cannot provide necessary lesson planning, instruction or legally required services for special education students, and said the district should maintain processes that avoid long stretches without certified coverage.
Superintendent Anthony S. Jones said the district’s intent is not to keep uncertified substitutes indefinitely but to match state rules so that, in cases where a certified long-term substitute is not available (for example, language-specific coverage such as a French teacher), the district can avoid displacing an in-place person who is effectively delivering instruction.
Board action and safeguards: The policy committee presented the language, and the full board approved the substitute-teacher policy 4-1-2-1 as presented. Board members and administration said they will continue to prioritize certified long-term substitutes when leaves extend beyond 60 days and monitor cases where special education services might be affected.
Ending: Board members said adoption of the state-aligned language will reduce short-term disruptions but asked administration to report on any unintended impacts to instructional continuity or special education compliance.
