A new report shows Pennsylvania schools are still tackling many of the same issues exacerbated by the pandemic.
Of the 281 school districts that responded to the PSBA state of education report, 71 percent of them said student mental health needs and staffing shortages were their biggest challenges.
A whopping 92 percent reported a shortage in substitute teachers, with the strain of those shortages often get passed onto the full-time staff and students.
"You know you end up with these big class sizes because a lack of substitute coverage, and what might happen is, in some cases, students might not get the attention that they would otherwise in a smaller classroom setting," says Managing Director of Government Affairs, Andrew Chryst.
State leaders have tried to address the shortage, like allowing teaching students to serve as a sub in a limited capacity, and recent retirees to sub without impacting their pension.
Chryst said many districts are trying to connect students with additional resources, but they often struggle finding help for higher risk kids.
"Instead of referring to an outside mental health provider, a lot of schools are having to really do some of that mental health care services themselves," explains Chryst.
Still 77% of parents feel their child's district is doing a good job addressing students mental health.
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