DPS Teachers Consider Leaving After Change To Work-From-Home Accommodations

Denver Public Schools announced a policy change on the Friday before Thanksgiving that has left many teachers considering a leave of absence.

CBS4 reports that the change has made teachers feel they are forced to choose between their jobs or the safety of their families.

At the start of the school year, the district gave special accommodations to teachers who lived with at-risk family members. They are currently able to work remotely.

While teachers believed these accommodations would last until the end of the coronavirus pandemic, an internal email to staff said otherwise.

In the email sent to staff on Friday, November 20, the district wrote, "given DPS' operational need for more in-person work, we will not be able to offer fully remote work to employees with at-risk household members."

According to the email, the existing accommodations for staff with at-risk family members will end on December 31.

"That feels like you are devaluing the lives of my family members," one DPS teacher, who is now considering taking a leave of absence, told CBS4. "It feels like I was told one thing at the beginning of the year, and this is something that made me feel safe to do my job...and now it feels like they are taking that back."

Jeffco and Cherry Creek School Districts have told CBS4 that they are not considering similar policy changes.

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