Denver schools closed Friday as teachers plan protest

More Colorado schools are cancelling classes because of planned teacher protests later this week, including Denver Public Schools.

As of Tuesday, over a dozen Colorado school districts, including the state’s 10 largest, say they will close their schools or release students early because of the demonstrations planned Thursday and Friday at the state Capitol. The moves affect over half of the approximately 910,000 students enrolled in Colorado schools.

Some of the latest districts to call off classes include Colorado Springs’ largest district, District 11, and Aurora. DPS originally planned for an early dismissal, but now has canceled classes on Friday.

About 10,000 teachers are expected to participate in the day long demonstrations, which will also include lobbying lawmakers and “grade-ins” to show how much work teachers do outside the school day in addition to rallies.