National Guard troops are New Mexico's newest substitute teachers. Here are 4 different ways the Guard has been deployed to ease labor shortages

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New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has asked National Guard troops and state employees to volunteer as substitute teachers to help ease "extreme staffing shortages" in the state.

Under the "Supporting Teachers and Families" initiative, Guardsmen can volunteer to become licensed substitutes or childcare workers. They must fulfill all requirements of a typical substitute teacher, including a background check.

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It's up to schools to decide if the troops can teach in their military uniforms, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

"Every day, child care programs call the department to let us know that they have to temporarily close due to staffing shortages," New Mexico's early childhood education secretary said in a statement. "This initiative is critical to keeping child-care providers' doors open."

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The initiative comes amid a national shortage of substitute teachers, a longstanding problem that the Omicron surge has brought to a boiling point.

As teachers continue to call out sick, substitutes — whose positions are historically underpaid and unstable — have been vital to keeping schools open throughout the pandemic.

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"The additional staffing will allow schools to avoid the disruptive process of switching between remote and in-person learning and prevent child care programs from having to shut down altogether," the governor's office said in a statement.

This is the second time in one year that the National Guard has been asked to fill essential positions in schools, as the education sector continues to struggle with hiring challenges.

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In September, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 250 National Guard members to drive school buses, citing local staffing shortages.

The New York National Guard was also activated to combat labor shortages in nursing homes this December. Nearly 75% of nursing homes reported an overall "worsening situation with their workforce" this year.

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Oregon, California, Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and West Virginia have all activated the Guard for pandemic-related missions, mainly for vaccine administration and hospital assistance.

"I get to make a difference in my community by taking stress off the nurses so they can focus on the actual medical care of patients," National Guard member Kristen Denny said of her work in West Virginia's Berkley Medical Center. Her responsibilities include changing sheets, replacing linens, and disposing of waste.

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Critics of labor-related Guard missions argue that using military personnel to fill civilian positions is a band-aid solution that ignores the root of the labor crisis in healthcare and education.

Some worry that funneling Guardsmen into the workforce will prevent economic corrections for the working class, such as salary hikes and increased benefits.

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National Guard members logged over 10.9 million days serving domestic missions in 2020. That's more than four times as many as in 2019, according to the 2022 National Guard Bureau Posture Statement.