Irving ISD denies staff requests to work from home amid COVID-19, teacher shortages

Irving ISD has denied requests from 150 staff members to work from home, citing a teacher shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among those asked to return to campus were a teacher’s aide currently on oxygen support, a special education teacher on immunosuppressants and a teacher of 20 years who just completed chemotherapy.

Irving ISD spokeswoman Nicole Mansell said the district is trying to balance providing a quality education to students with protecting the health and safety of employees.Every six weeks, families can choose whether to attend school in person or virtually. The number of in-person students increased “at a rapid rate,” Mansell said, with nearly 15,000 students, or 46%, attending campuses.

“Because of the increased number of face-to-face learners each six weeks, it had become an undue hardship for the district to continue allowing remote work arrangements to occur,” the district said in a written statement. “Quite simply, we do not have enough teachers [or paid substitutes] to adequately supervise the face-to-face learners.”

Cases of COVID-19 have surpassed 11,000 in Irving, which is the hardest-hit city in Dallas County besides Dallas itself.

Since Aug. 10, when staff reported to work, Irving ISD has reported 377 COVID-19 cases among staff and students. Of those, 94 are active and the rest have recovered.

“What Irving has done is ripped the rug out from under a lot of employees who are at-risk,” Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association, told the Star-Telegram.

The district said no employees are being denied accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Teachers are our greatest asset to ensure that our students excel,” Mansell said in a prepared statement. “As a district, we are committed to the health and safety of all employees and to the success of all students.”