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Dixon Teachers Protest Return To In-Class Instruction

DIXON (CBS13) — Dixon teachers are sounding the horn to let the administration know they want more protection when it comes to preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Teachers put it in park along First Street in front of the school district office on Monday. They want the administration to put the brakes on a plan for all 170 to return to the classroom to teach students as part of distance learning. They are asking for the option to work from home.

"We want to make sure all of our members all of our teachers in Dixon are physically healthy to teach with distance learning this fall, and also mentally healthy as well," Kathleen Burrows said.

Burrows was one of dozens who protested. Angela Ferrar joined her.

"I think it's the communal spaces are the issue at this point," Ferrar said. "If it can be done from home, the governor is asking people to work from home if you are able to - and teaching is able to be done from home."

Some 200 school districts statewide, including several in several in Solano County, allow teachers to work from home -- and teachers were doing it for months already.

"The superintendent, along with our governing board, they were pleased with our performance. So we just don't understand what's changed," said Burrows.

Protesters want protection because Dixon now has the third-highest COVID-19 incidence rate in Solano County, yet makes up only five percent of its population.

The superintendent understands their concerns, but countered that social distancing, the equipment that makes distance learning possible, and their sanitization protocols means the risk of spreading coronavirus is negligible. He, like the governor, blames parties and social gatherings.

Still, teachers say they want the opportunity to take extra precautions.

"We are really concerned about safety because there is no way to fully reduce the risk of this disease," said Burrows.

Dixon teachers report Aug. 20, while students start classes on Aug 24.

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