Report: 23 percent of North Carolina teacher often absent

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A new report shows that more than 20 percent of North Carolina’s teachers are “chronically absent” from work.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that state education officials presented data Wednesday showing that nearly 23 percent of North Carolina’s teachers used 10 or more nonconsecutive sick days in the last school year.

Education officials attributed high absenteeism, in part, to some teachers no longer considering teaching as a lifelong profession.

The state’s nearly 98,000 teachers get one sick day per month to use when students are in class.

Some State Board of Education members said it was not fair to say a teacher that misses one day a month is “chronically absent.”

School officials say absent teachers cost money to hire substitutes and hurt student learning.

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Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com