Students report school strain as Liberty High School teachers take leave

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As more students in Academy District 20 head back to the classroom for in-person learning this week, a handful of teachers are taking leave. A Liberty High School student reached out to KRDO New Channel 13 concerned that it's affecting her quality of education.

Cari Fox is the president of the Academy Education Association, the teacher’s union for ASD20. Fox also teaches 7th-grade math at Challenger Middle School.

“Teachers are taking leave, they are putting in for substitute teachers, they are trying to keep their families safe,” Fox said.

District 20 Spokesperson Allison Cortez gave this statement:

“We care deeply about the safety and welfare of our staff and understand this is a challenging time. In July we announced options for those who were uncomfortable returning to the classroom, choices like: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Emergency Paid Sick Leave, Regular Staff Leave, Long-Term Sick Leave and “Other COVID Leave” – a leave unique to ASD20. These options protect staff and ensure they can return to work. We also worked to transition “high risk” staff members to positions in our fully online programs. Of nearly 3,000 employees, approximately 65 staff have taken advantage of these options.”

Allison Cortez, Chief Communication Officer for Academy District 20

According to Fox, there were only so many online teaching positions.

"Once those positions filled up, if you did not get one of those positions, then you are teaching in-person," she said.

Liberty High School student McKenzie Woodhead reports a strain on instruction as a result of teachers taking leave. Woodhead wants to make sure teachers have a voice.

“To switch it and then have this whole chaotic situation of not having a teacher, I mean I didn’t learn anything in that class for a week,” Woodhead said.

The school district was not aware of that issue. The school district reports in one case, a college professor stepped in to teach a high school course during the search for a substitute.