Pueblo teachers protest return to in-person classes without decline in COVID-19 cases
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Monday morning, a few dozen Pueblo School District 60 teachers took to the football field at Pueblo South High School, not to play a game, but to demonstrate the seriousness of COVID-19.
July 27th has been coined 'Day of Action for Pandemic Inaction', and the D60 teachers at Pueblo South say they want to send a message of love, and not focus on the virus' devastation.
"Essentially all the teachers are wearing white, and underneath we are wearing our pink Pueblo Education Association T-shirts. We are going to show how quickly COVID-19 can spread," said Derek Flowers, a D60 Kindergarten teacher.
Teachers took off their white t-shirts to expose the pink underneath, signifying that the teachers contracted COVID-19.
The educators wore masks and stood six feet apart adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines, however, they believe the safety guidelines can't fully protect teachers or students while in classrooms.
On Thursday, D60's school board approved a plan to return to in-person classrooms for the fall semester. Teachers at Monday's demonstration denounce the board's decision.
"We don't want a full scale online learning for the entire school year," said Flowers. "We want a phased-in approach. We want to look at the science and make sure cases are not spiking in Pueblo ... that they are actually decreasing when we phase in students into the classrooms."
This is the second COVID-19 demonstration organized by D60 teachers. Last Wednesday, teachers gathered in the parking lot of the D60 administration building to demonstrate how returning to classrooms with social distancing guidelines isn't feasible.
