Schools in “Survival Mode” Find Staffing Relief Through Smart Locker Automation

Post-pandemic burnout, comparatively low pay, and difficulty managing the educational and emotional needs of students are some reasons teachers are leaving the profession.

The teacher shortage is forcing full-time teachers to surrender prep time to cover classes, and principals are being pulled from their responsibilities to teach. However, pooling existing resources doesn’t even scratch the surface. Many states are granting emergency substitute teaching licenses to fill the void. One school district in Illinois employs 100 daily substitute teachers in a school system of 450 full-time teachers.

One of the unsung heroes within a school are the substitute coordinators. They are responsible for providing incoming subs with the information and tools they need. With 1:1 device programs as the new norm, substitute teachers are often required to use a tablet or laptop for student communication and to access lesson plans. Managing this technology has placed an additional burden on sub coordinators and IT teams alike. Due to the influx of daily subs, sub coordinators are under stress when checking in teachers for the day, and substitute teachers are frazzled before they even step foot in a classroom.

One innovative way schools are improving conditions is by using a smart locker to automate the substitute teacher check in/check out processes. Here’s how it works: a FUYL Tower^TM Smart Locker, powered by LocknCharge Cloud, stores fully-charged devices and other teaching materials in individually-lockable bays. The substitute teacher is assigned a bay and a PIN number, allowing them to quickly access items inside without assistance.

Because sub coordinators start early in the morning and are typically gone before the end of the school day, a smart locker provides a secure location for teachers to return and charge devices without oversight.

This approach also benefits IT teams who spend less time locating and replacing missing devices. Tower activity is logged in the LocknCharge Cloud portal to show when and by who a bay was accessed.

With droves of new full-time teachers entering the district mid-year, smart lockers are also being used to automate new teacher onboarding. The result is a reduction in stress and less wasted time throughout the school system.

To learn more, contact LocknCharge – the experts in device management solutions for schools.