Hundreds of Jefferson Parish students will be taught math and English by virtual teachers this school year as the district uses online instructors to fill open positions.

The Jefferson Parish school district will pay Texas-based Proximity Learning $523,000 to provide certified teachers, who will teach 24 classes of honors Algebra and English over live video, according to a contract the school board approved last month. Students at more than a dozen schools will take the online classes, which could be taught by teachers hundreds of miles away.

The district reported 70 teacher vacancies in August, a common problem for school systems across the country that have long grappled with teacher shortages. To help fill those open positions, some school districts have turned to virtual instruction.

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