Class Coverage and Planning Time Procedures When Substitutes Are Unavailable

When a professional employee is absent and a day-to-day, school, or district provided substitute is not available, other professional employees may be asked to assist by covering a class or having a portion of another professional employee’s students assigned to them. Within the first twenty (20) instructional days, teaching teams within schools shall develop a plan in accordance with Tennessee State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-03.03 for splitting classes when a substitute is not available. Those plans shall be shared with building administrators. Should all teachers on a teaching team be close to maximum class sizes as outlined in Tennessee State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-03.03, the administration shall contact Support Hub for assistance through standard leadership channels. If changes to the team occur, the plan shall be revised within twenty (20) days. Covering a class during a professional employee’s two and a half (2.5) hours of weekly self-selected planning time because a substitute is not available shall be done on a voluntary basis except in urgent/emergency situations (unplanned situations that require an educator to leave during the workday unexpectedly for illness or personal tragedy).