By: Jason Gruenauer Channel 7 News
DENVER — Classes have been in session for a week, and Denver teachers are continuing their fight against hot classrooms in schools by holding a sit-in protest called a “Rally to Demand an End to Sweltering Classrooms.”
“I think we’re sacrificing basically students’ well-being and their actual learning,” said Denver Public Schools teacher and event organizer Tiffany Choi. “So I would say this has not been a priority for DPS in the last few years and I think this is the time we make it a priority — that we need to take care of our kids in all of our buildings.”
The event was held by the group Caucus of Today’s Teachers, which is made up by Denver teachers and administrators. About 30 people attended the event at the Emily Griffith campus downtown.
Last week, teachers raised concerns to Denver7 about hot temperatures within their classrooms, which don’t have air conditioning, as kids returned to school for the year with temperatures outside approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Teachers that I’ve talked to have said they’ve seen kids drip sweat onto their papers,” said Amy Duclos, a parent of a DPS student. “The kids are getting headaches, getting nauseous. My daughter said one kid actually vomited in class. If this is what’s happening on these hotter days, then I don’t know if we’re fulfilling the mission of educating our children.”
