Teacher’s union plans will-signing event in Colorado Springs to protest reopening
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — In a move that signals how concerned some teachers are about their lack of safety heading back to the classroom in a few weeks, the Pikes Peak Education Association has planned a will-signing event at Centennial Hall Monday.
The president of the local teacher’s union, Aubrey Huey, tells KRDO the event is partially to prove a point that many teachers don’t feel safe. Huey says there’s also a practical element. Some school staff realized it would be smart to have a will during the coronavirus pandemic and may not have had one already.
The union is calling the event "Back to School: Witness Our Wills." It's planned from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Aug. 3. People can have their wills witnessed and notarized.
The Pikes Peak Education Association says it’s been in contact with the El Paso County Public Health, asking for stricter school requirements instead of guidelines.
The deputy medical director for El Paso County Public Health, Dr. Leon Kelly, says one-size-fits-all requirements are not practical with school districts in the region ranging from large and urban to small, rural, and largely unaffected by COVID-19.
Dr. Kelly adds that he’s been working with schools since they closed in the spring to come up with comprehensive reopening plans. He says to alleviate concerns about how teachers and students can get tested quickly, a new public COVID-19 testing site will provide free 24-hour results to about 1,000 people per day.
For schools, it could mean quicker turnaround to make decisions about how to handle an outbreak.
