Hundreds of Midland Teachers Miss Work on Friday

MIDLAND, TX  – Friday was the first day of in-person instruction for middle schoolers and high schoolers at Midland ISD, however the staff was scarce as 504 employees across the district did not show up for work. 

The district had to find a solution and that meant having 60 staff members from the administration building spending their work day on campuses that needed them most.

"It was an all hands on deck approach", said Jessica Gore, the San Jacinto Junior High principal. 

"As teachers get sick throughout the day we just have no one to cover so counselors are covering, I'm covering, and my assistant principals are covering."

317 instructional positions needed to be filled Monday because of employees calling in and that number could continue to grow according to the district.

"We've seen a steady increase in the number of absences that we have everyday for the past several weeks," said Elana Ladd, the Chief Communications officer for Midland ISD. 

The district was able to find 187 substitutes to work Monday, but that still leaves an additional 169 unfilled positions.

This is where administrators have been stepping in. 

"We asked for three central office people today and we had three come and we've checked on them a few times to make sure they're okay but it's just good to know that we have all hands on deck making sure we keep kids in school," said Gore.

Having this many absences at once affects the instruction around campus, but educators say they're dedicated to making up for what's lacking at MISD.