“I am already uncomfortable around police officers, being a Black individual,” Watkins said. “I don’t need them in the classroom.”

Nicole McAfee, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ Oklahomans, said putting untrained substitutes and armed officers into classrooms is not a safe solution to the teacher shortage.

“We know that the presence of cops on school campuses is harmful to kids, especially students with disabilities and students of color,” McAfee said. “Putting armed officers in charge of classrooms is dangerous.”

McAfee shared the viral photos of Moore police officers substitute teaching in a local elementary school on social media. In one photo, officer Jeremy Lewis stood over a Black student, unmasked and strapped with weapons.

“Oklahoma students aren’t your photo opp,” McAfee said. “Given that these officers are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 in their day to day job, to not have the basic courtesy to wear a mask in a classroom full of students who don’t have a teacher present because of COVID-19 really just makes the point about how little they care.”

In October, a nationwide survey reported 77 percent of school district leaders are having trouble hiring substitute teachers, according to an Education Week survey. Teacher shortages have been a problem in Oklahoma since before the pandemic, too. Nearly 15 percent of Oklahoma educators were looking for jobs outside of the profession at the start of the 2021-2022 school year, according to the Oklahoma Education Association.

In Stillwater, a city in Payne County, school district leaders said they are not dealing with a substitute teacher shortage as badly as other districts in the state. Yet, there are several banners throughout the city that read, “Now hiring substitutes and more.” So far two state employees have applied to be substitute teachers in Stillwater since Governor Stitt’s executive order was issued, the Stillwater Public Schools department said February 7.

Oklahoma isn’t the only state bending teacher requirements due to shortages. Governors in Utah and New Mexico are also urging state employees to fill in substitute positions. Other states, including Missouri, Oregon, Michigan, and Kansas are lowering their substitute teacher requirements. Most states’ first objective is to get rid of the bachelor’s degree requirement, which will allow more unaccredited people to substitute teach.

Jennifer Owens Hill, a teacher in Putnam City’s School District, says teachers are not to blame for how they respond to the pandemic and the lack of safety precautions Oklahoma school districts have taken in response to it. The teacher says working through the pandemic has pushed her to consider early retirement. Hill has taught in Oklahoma for 28 years.

One of Governor Stitt’s listed reasons for issuing the order is to avoid school closures, but Hill says virtual classrooms don’t  mean schools are closing. Although she does not believe virtual learning is a feasible long-term solution for low-income students, its a immediate solution, she claims.

“My students will get better instruction short term with my online lessons and support than they will with a substitute who is merely there as a monitor,” Hill said. “I would love more background checked and fully trained substitutes.”

Similar to emergency teacher certifications, which temporarily waive usual state teaching certification requirements, state agency employees are not required to have classroom experience. However, while emergency teacher certifications do require individuals to hold a bachelor’s degree, Governor Stitt’s order allows people to substitute after only a cleared background check. According to The Oklahoman, in the first two days after Stitt’s executive order, more than 100 state employees filed to work as substitute teachers.

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