Colorado Teachers Union Cancels Protest over Coronavirus Fears

A Colorado teachers union has canceled its “Day of Action” protest at the state Capitol so that the group doesn’t “contribute in any way to the anxiety people are experiencing” based on fears of the Wuhan coronavirus.

The Colorado Education Association (CEA) announced on Tuesday that it is canceling its March 19 protest over fears associated with the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic.

“Be assured this difficult decision was made out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety and welfare of our students, members and families,” said CEA president Amie Baca-Oehlert in a statement.

“We closely monitored guidance from health officials at the federal and state level throughout this process,” added Baca-Oehlert. “Though no official guidance was given to us to restrict public gatherings such as our Day of Action, we don’t want to contribute in any way to the anxiety people are experiencing during this troubling health crisis.”

The CEA added that more than 5,000 teachers and their supporters were expected to be at the protest.

“Despite our cancellation, lawmakers must feel urgency to take bold action during this session to keep quality educators in our classrooms and to ensure our students have the resources and supports they need to thrive,” said Baca-Oehlert. “Raising educator compensation across the state remains our top legislative priority.”

“Our members will continue to visit the Capitol in smaller numbers every week during CEA Lobby Days to share our stories of the critical resources denied to our students, and the extreme difficulties educators have making a decent living in this state,” she added.

The CEA said that it will be hosting a “virtual” Day of Action to provide protesters the opportunity to “have a powerful impact on the legislature from home.”

The Colorado Education Association is affiliated with the subversive leftist movement of teachers in the United States known as #RedforEd, which seeks to flip purple and red states blue — via the education system — under the guise of calling for higher teacher pay and better education conditions.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.