District & School Supports

Districts and schools can support and develop their substitute teachers by offering a variety of resources.

Districts and schools can support substitute teachers by providing an orientation and handbook. Topics may include:

• Professionalism & Fundamentals

  • Pay rates, benefits

  • Required procedures

  • District and building logistics

  • District contacts

  • Working with vulnerable populations

  • Restraint and seclusion policy

  • Safety protocols

  • Diabetes Management

  • Food Allergy Policy and Education Requirements

• Instructional Strategies

  • Basic pedagogy and explanation of lesson plans

  • Culturally responsive practices

• Classroom Management & Implementing Behavioral Health Strategies

  • Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Prepare a folder for substitute teachers with safety protocols and lesson plans and ensure substitutes are aware of student accommodations.

Prepare substitute teachers for the skills necessary to implement strong classroom management and make substitute teachers aware of disparities in disciplinary practices for students with disabilities. The United States Department of Education has released guidance on addressing these disparities.

• Dear Colleague Letter on Implementation of IDEA Discipline Provisions (July 19, 2022) – A letter that addresses disparities in the use of discipline for children with disabilities and the implementation of IDEA’s discipline provisions, and two accompanying guidance documents, to support state educational agencies’ and local educational agencies' efforts to fulfill their obligations to appropriately meet the needs of children with disabilities.

• New Guidance Helps Schools Support Students with Disabilities and Avoid Discriminatory Use of Discipline – Guidance and a series of resources from the United States Department of Education to support public elementary and secondary schools fulfill their responsibilities to meet the needs of students with disabilities and avoid the discriminatory use of student disability.

Districts and schools can offer or require substitute teachers to complete training and professional development. Further development of substitute teachers can lead to greater retention. For trainings that have a cost, districts should consider utilizing funds such as ESSER dollars. Potential trainings and professional development may include:

• The Ohio Center for Substitute Teachers Training – A research-based training housed within The Ohio Center for Substitute Teachers and covers professionalism, classroom management, teaching strategies, special education and legal issues.

• STEDI – STEDI offers online, research-based trainings to prepare substitute teachers for the classroom. *This resource has a cost

• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Modules – These modules are housed on the Learning Management System (LMS) and provide an overview of the PBIS framework.

• Culturally Responsive Practice Modules – These modules are housed on the LMS and provide an overview of the three tenets of culturally responsive practices.

• Professional Conduct: ABConduct TipSheets Course – This course is housed on the LMS and will introduce the topics on professional conduct.

Funds can innovatively be utilized to retain substitute teachers. Section two of the United States Department of Education December 2021 Dear Colleague Letter outlines uses for Covid-19 dollars to build and maintain and cadre of high-quality substitute teachers.

Finally, districts and schools should consider developing substitute teachers into fully credentialed teachers for hard-to-fill positions.

• Designing a Grow Your Own Program – Learn more about how to design a Grow Your Own program for adults.