A live, digital education platform is seeking to add about 5,000 teachers as the coronavirus has forced school districts across the country to go online or close altogether.

Outschool officials said demand for their services was up 500% in the last week, the same time schools were going through the process of whether to pivot to digital learning strategies, among other options. Metro Atlanta school districts opted for digital learning as many went online beginning Monday.

The move could help many substitute teachers, who may not be paid as districts make decisions on who will continued to be paid during the building shutdown.

Helping with the education efforts during the pandemic, the company is offering free classes for students affected by public school shutdowns, partnering with video conferencing company Zoom.

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Children in the Head Start program play outside with lead teacher Genesis Lavanway at the Arthur M. Blank Early Learning Center. It's one of the Head Start programs in Georgia that may not receive its annual funding on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown. A bridge loan from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta will keep the programs running for another 45 days. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC