Laurel to go asynchronous due to staff shortages

Laurel School District will have remote learning Friday due to staff shortages.

Another school district in Delaware is holding an asynchronous learning day due to a large number of staff expected to be absent.

Laurel School District announced Tuesday that “after reviewing staff attendance and considering our capacity to maintain a safe and effective learning environment, the district has made the decision to transition to an asynchronous learning day for both students and staff” on Friday.

Asynchronous days are not the same as virtual days – there aren’t classes via Zoom, but rather students will be given work, and it’s up to them to complete it without teacher supervision.

In May, the Capital School District moved three of its schools to multiple asynchronous days: Dover High School, Dover Middle School, and Kent County Community School – which serves about 300 students who have special needs.

The shortage of educators has been a hot topic nationally, and Delaware is not immune.

Laurel currently has 18 vacancies, according to the Join Delaware Schools Consortium website, which says there are 684 vacancies across all Delaware public schools.

Although the district declined to have anyone interviewed, Superintendent Shawn Larrimore sent a message to parents Tuesday, which was posted on the district’s social media sites.

“While we typically strive to manage school operations with minimal disruption, we are facing a significant number of scheduled staff absences for Friday—over 70 at this time, with over 30 positions currently unfilled,” Larrimore stated.

This number may continue to rise as the week progresses, he said, and after “careful review and discussion,” the district determined that moving to an asynchronous model for Friday is the best course of action to ensure that students’ education remains uninterrupted while maintaining safety in our schools.

When Capital had this issue at the end of last school year, some teachers still made themselves available on asynchronous days if students had questions about their independent assignments.

Laurel’s teachers will be available via email for any assistance or questions throughout the day Friday.

“Educators have a right to take personal and sick days just like any other worker, despite facing restrictions on when and how they can use those days,” said Stephanie Ingram, president of the Delaware State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union.

Just like any other employer, Ingram said, Delaware’s public schools sometimes have to grapple with days when multiple employees are absent.

“The district recognizes that our educators, like all of us, have personal and professional commitments,” Larrimore stated. “Furthermore, we are navigating a nationwide staffing shortage, and maintaining positive relationships with our staff is vital. Refusing time-off requests could potentially impact staff morale and trust, which are crucial in fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment—especially in today’s educational landscape.”

Like the Laurel administration, the Delaware Department of Education recognizes the challenges this creates for children and families and recognizes that for many students in-person learning is best, said Alison May, public information officer for the department.

She said the department appreciated Larrimore’s message to families, notably the part where he said this is not expected to happen again.

The department is not aware of any other public schools that have made this move this school year, May said.

“We want to assure parents that this week’s unique circumstances are an exception and not something we anticipate occurring again,” Larrimore said. “We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through these temporary adjustments.”

In the case of Capital’s asynchronous learning, parents were given less than two days’ notice. Laurel gave parents less than three days’ notice.

That means working parents with young children have to scramble to find daycare or babysitting options.

Parents from Capital also pointed out that asynchronous learning was difficult for children with special needs who need social interaction and learn better in a typical classroom environment.

“Unfortunately, the ongoing educator shortage here in Delaware and across the country will continue to create staffing issues at some schools if left unaddressed,” Ingram said.

DSEA has worked with lawmakers to address those staffing shortages by raising the starting salary of educators, addressing school climate concerns, and advocating for the successful passage of legislation that both created full-time substitute teacher positions across Delaware and provided funding to districts to help them fill those positions, Ingram said.

“While we have made progress, more work is still needed to ensure our schools have adequate staffing levels to meet student needs,” Ingram said, “even during isolated moments of illness and other incidents that can lead to widespread educator absences.”