Teachers in Dallas may choose not to return to teaching as schools prepare to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | Pixabay
The Dallas Independent School District (USD) may see many teachers decide to retire early or leave the profession as schools prepare to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those who are close to retirement or a retirement age may say this is not for me,” Rena Honea, the president of the Alliance-American Federation of Teachers, told WFAA. “Depending on their personal health, personal safety, their family situation, all of that has to be weighed.”
The Alliance-American Federation of Teachers represents roughly 6,000 within the Dallas ISD.
“The biggest thing we've heard is the fear that teachers have going back to campuses and feeling safe,” Honea told WFAA.
A task force is working on a plan on how the district can safely reopen its schools, WFAA reported. Among the issues being discussed are how to implement social distancing in classrooms and on school buses, if students will be required to wear gloves and masks and how to address the fact that some students may not attend school if it's deemed unsafe by their parents.
Teachers can resign or retire without harming their credentials if they do so by July 3, Honea told WFAA.
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