Printable resource
Emergency Sub Binder
Fill it out once while you feel fine. Then, on the morning you wake up sick, you call in and go back to sleep.
One-time payment. Instant download.
What's inside
Set it up once (pages 5–16)
- The class at a glance — room, times, where everything lives
- Today's schedule plus a weekly page for specials and duties
- Class roster and seating chart
- How this classroom runs: arrival, attention signal, bathroom, hallway, dismissal, devices
- Behavior expectations and what to try when a student won't settle
- Students who can help, and students who leave the room during the day
- Health and safety, technology, and who to ask for help
- A planned-absence page for conferences and appointments
If there are no plans (pages 17–20)
- 24 no-prep activities across K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12
- No materials, no photocopying, no preparation — enough to fill a whole day
Copy for students (pages 21–26)
- Writing prompts and six-word stories
- Would You Rather discussion cards
- Reading response sheet
- Brain teasers, with answers for the adult
- Draw and label page
After the day (pages 27–29)
- A sub report that asks for honesty instead of politeness
- A notes page for anything needing a written record
- A short checklist for the morning you come back
Plus a separate editable file with the class information pages, routines, contacts, a note to your substitute, and the planned-absence plan. Works in Word, Google Docs, and Pages.
No confidential student info
Deliberately designed to keep health details and behavior plans out of a binder that sits open on a desk all day.
Actually no-prep
Not "print these worksheets." A substitute can read the page and start.
Written for a real sub
Plain language, in the order they'll need it, with a page that says where to start.
Printer-friendly
US Letter, clean layouts, no color blocks draining the shared toner.
Common questions
- What grade is this for?
- All of them. The information pages are grade-neutral and the no-prep plans are split into four grade bands.
- Do I have to fill in all 30 pages?
- No. Pages 5 to 16 are the ones worth filling in. Everything from 17 onward is ready to use as-is.
- Is it editable?
- The binder is a print-ready PDF. The pages that change year to year also come as an editable file you can type into and reprint.
- Can I use it for a planned absence?
- Yes — there's a dedicated page for writing actual lesson plans when you know you'll be out.
- My school already has a required sub form.
- This is the binder that sits behind it and answers everything the form doesn't.
Licensed for one teacher's classroom use. After payment you'll land on a confirmation page with your download links (valid for 24 hours). Browse more in the store or contact us with questions.