Coconino News

Wendy Rogers, Republican candidate for the Arizona State Senate District 6 seat, is committed to schools opening for in-person education, but the issue has become political with many teachers protesting. 

"Arizona school districts should be laser-focused on reopening to in-person learning," Rogers told Coconino News. "Unfortunately, this seems to have become a political issue with threats of strikes and organized 'sick-outs.'"

Classes for this coming Monday were canceled in Arizona after several teachers protested on Monday, calling it a "sick-out," the Hill reported. These teachers called out sick for the first day of school. 

Teachers believe it's not safe to return to in-person learning, not only for the students, but teachers as well. 

“Due to these insufficient staffing levels, schools will not be able to re-open on Monday as planned. This means that all classes, including virtual learning, will be canceled. At this time, we do not know the duration of these staff absences, and cannot yet confirm when in-person instruction may resume,” Gregory Wyman, superintendent of the J.O. Combs Unified School District, told the Hill. 

Wyman said "an overwhelming" amount of staff said they didn't feel safe returning to the buildings with students.

Arizona teachers aren't the only ones feeling this way either. Teachers and schools across the U.S. are struggling on making decisions as to what to do for the nearing school year and want to do what is best and safest for the students. 

But Arizona has proven to be a "chief battleground in the debate," the Hill reported. Parents and students have also been protesting, but for the opposite of teachers. They are wanting in-person instruction. 

But Rogers said the protests by the teachers are a political stunt and believes teachers should be putting the students first. 

"We need to rise above politics and put kids first," Rogers told Coconino News. "Education is a top priority and prolonged school closures hurt children in our rural communities, working families and children who don’t have access to the tools they need to be successful in a virtual learning environment. Our district leaders have been given guidance, flexibility and the tools they need to re-open safely. Let’s get our kids back in classrooms and back to learning!"