GARY, Ind. (WLS) — it feels like August just started, but already some students are going back to school Thursday.

Students in Gary are returning to their studies this Thursday morning, but the district faces a major shortage of teachers as the new school year begins.

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To help fill the gap in the meantime, some middle and high school students will have virtual teachers.

The Gary Community School Corporation Board of Trustees voted over the summer to retain Proximity Learning.

While teachers prepare and take their licensure exams, students will be taught by a qualified virtual educator, with support from an in-person facilitator who will help students in the classroom.

Once a teacher is hired to fill a role, virtual instruction ends.

The necessity for these virtual teachers has become clear due to the anticipated departure of many public school staff members who have not yet secured full licenses.

Over 80 teachers working under emergency licenses have been dismissed, with at least 41 virtual instructors ready to take over at the middle and high school levels.

District officials acknowledge that although this approach might appear unconventional, similar methods are being used by other districts nationwide to address teacher shortages.