Wilson County high school won’t offer physics course due to teacher shortage

MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. (WSMV) - Wilson County Schools district officials sent an announcement to parents Wednesday to alert them that Green Hill High School will no longer offer physics courses in the upcoming school year.

The school district said in the letter to parents that they have decided not to offer the course due to staffing shortages and not being able to find someone in time to fill the role.

Wilson County parent Sarah Moore said her daughter has planned to take physics in the fall. She will now be forced to take a different AP science course.

“I was surprised. I had to go back and read it like twice, was this meant for us?” Moore said. “Wow, I could quite possibly have a student who is going to graduate and not have a single physics class on her high school transcript at a large, well-regarded public high school.”

WSMV4 has reported school districts across Middle Tennessee have job openings across the board.

Metro Nashville Public Schools is still trying to work to fill the over 200 spots available before the school year begins in the coming weeks.

To correct the lack of physics courses, district officials have come up with eight class options to ensure that students can continue to learn and not feel like they are falling behind. The following options officials laid out include:

Options for AP Physics I Students:

1. There are limited openings in AP Environmental Science, AP Chemistry, & AP Biology. However, if you are interested in an AP science course, you can request to enroll in one of these courses.
2. Students can request an alternate academic elective or an elective in their CTE pathway. Please request up to three courses, and your counselor will schedule the elective that fits best into your schedule.
3. Students taking AP Physics I to substitute for a 4th math class will need to choose from one of the following senior math courses: H Pre-Cal, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB and BC, or Applied Math.

Options for AP Physics II Students:

1. There are limited openings in AP Environmental Science, AP Chemistry, & AP Biology. However, if your student is interested in an AP science course, they can request to enroll in one of these courses.
2. Students can request an alternate academic elective or an elective in their CTE pathway. Please request up to three courses, and your counselor will schedule the elective that fits best into your schedule.

Options for H Physics Students:

1. Students taking H Physics to substitute for a 4th math class will need to choose from one of the following senior math courses: H Pre-Cal, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Statistics, or Applied Math. Students taking H Physics instead of Chemistry must choose a Chemistry or H Chemistry class.
2. There are limited openings in AP Environmental Science, AP Chemistry, & AP Biology. However, if you are interested in an AP science course, you can request to enroll in one of these courses.
3. Students can request an alternate academic elective or an elective in their CTE pathway. If you choose this option, please request up to three courses from the GHHS Program of Studies, and your counselor will schedule the elective that fits best into your schedule.

Moore fears these are the repercussions of what she believes, in many cases, are under-appreciated and under-paid teachers. She said it’s not a reflection on Green Hill High School, but something happening everywhere.

“To see teachers get degraded or not respected for the amount of time they spend with their students, the lifelong impact they have, it’s frustrating,” Moore said. “How can you blame them for looking for other options.”

District officials said they are continuing the search for teachers to fill the position in the meantime.

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