Adams City High School is canceling in-person classes Wednesday in response to a planned “sick-out” by teachers, school district officials said Tuesday night.

Adams City Principal Chris Garcia and Adams County School District 14 Superintendent Karla Loria announced the decision to switch to online learning in a letter to parents and guardians shared on the school’s Facebook.

“Both the district and the certified and classified union leadership strongly disagree with this action as it directly impacts our students’ learning and safety, resulting in a disruption of the normal functioning of our school,” district officials wrote.

Students will complete assignments at home using Google Classroom on Wednesday, according to school officials, and Adams City High School will not be open for in-person learning or after-school tutoring.

No other Adams 14 schools are impacted by the change, district officials wrote.

The district did not disclose how many teachers at the Commerce City school called out sick or why teachers planned the sick-out.

SD14 Classroom Teachers’ Association President Jason Malmberg said he could not speak to the specific concerns of teachers calling out sick because the union did not organize the sick-out, but noted there is widespread concern about pay and increased pressure on teachers in the classroom.

“We’re in a situation where we have declining enrollment, along with most of the metro area, and we still haven’t recovered from the horrendous impacts of the forced management that the state put on us,” Malmberg said.

Adams 14 was ordered to reorganize by the state Board of Education in 2022 due to continued low student performance ratings, a decision that was later reversed. District leaders “paused” work with an education nonprofit on teacher training and coaching this fall, according to Chalkbeat Colorado.

In the letter to parents and guardians, district leaders wrote that it was “truly regrettable” for people to prioritize their concerns in isolation rather than work with the district and union to find a solution.

Malmberg said the association just started its collective bargaining process with the district and is reviewing the district’s financial information.

“We’re going to let that process play out in good faith and see where it gets us,” he said. “Clearly we all have concerns.”

This is a developing story.

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