Teacher Walkout: Denver Public Schools Closed April 27

DENVER, CO -- About 10,000 Colorado teachers are expected to participate in day-long demonstrations Friday, April 27 to urge Colorado lawmakers to spend more money on education. Some will lobby legislators, some will participate in a "grade-in" to highlight work done outside the school day. The action is being organized by the Colorado Education Association.

In Denver, DPS has announced that schools will be closed altogether on Friday, so teachers can attend the rallies. According to the DPS website:

As we have been communicating with you, DPS has been working in partnership to press our state government to restore education funding to our schools. The statewide teachers association, the Colorado Education Association (CEA), is planning a statewide rally of educators on Friday, April 27, to advocate for greater state funding and expects that many of our teachers will participate.
We had originally planned an early release on Friday, but due to the number of teachers planning to take the entire day off on Friday, we do not believe we will be able to keep our schools open on Friday. This is the case with most of our surrounding districts as well.
The decision to cancel classes is not one made lightly, but given the current situation, we feel we will not be able to provide a productive learning day and fulfill our promise of a safe school environment for our students.
This is still a working day for DPS staff, and teachers and others participating in the rally must work with their supervisor to take appropriate leave.

• District-scheduled high school athletic games will continue as scheduled, but all middle school athletic games are cancelled.
• The African-American Young Ladies’ Summit was rescheduled for May 18. More information will be shared soon, the district said.
• The 34th Annual Shakespeare Festival will be scheduled as planned for this Friday. "It is a day of great joy, and our students and educators have worked very hard to prepare for the festival," the district website said. the district asked any parents or guardians who wished to help chaperone the Shakespeare Festival, to contact their school principals.

This story has been updated to reflect the DPS decision to close schools altogether instead of offering a half-day.