Arizona teachers are asking that in-person classes be postponed until at least October, saying, “Remote learning won’t kill us, but COVID can.”
“We don’t want any children to get this from us, because as a teacher, I don’t want to go to any of their funerals,” third-grade teacher Stacy Brosius, 47, told Reuters, adding that she too is not ready to send their three children to school.
Brosius, among other educators in Arizona, is requesting Governor Doug Ducey (R) to push the start of classes in person until October after the death of a colleague who died of COVID-19 after teaching at summer school.
Teachers are planning a major car strike on July 22. They will surround the capitol and the governor’s office to protest the state’s current plans to resume classes in person at the beginning of the school year while simultaneously demanding better funding for the education system.
“This is a centerpiece of what our educators come together to demand that schools be adequately funded,” said Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association (AEA). “Until we can see that, we are not ready to go back to schools.”
Teacher concern arises when Arizona experiences an increase in the number of cases and the school system prepares to receive 1.1 million public school students and 20,000 teachers.
The 7-day state average for new cases has increased dramatically in the past two months, from an average of 500 cases per week to more than 3,000 in July, Reuters reported.
Despite reports from the Arizona Department of Public Health revealing that the ICU capacity at the hospital is approaching 90 percent this week, Ducey said Thursday that he would not be swayed by the policy, adding that he would feel comfortable sending your kids to classes in person.
“Our children are going to learn in the fall. We will do everything we can to make the most positive educational year possible,” said Ducey.
The decision will be finalized next week after rounds of dialogue on the issue with educators across the state.
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