Colorado bill would punish striking teachers with jail time

Colorado state senators are considering a bill that would punish teachers with jail time if they go on strike, Denver7 reported.

Two GOP lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow public school districts in the state to seek a court injunction to block teacher strikes, according to the news outlet.

Any teachers who refuse to comply with the injunction would be considered in contempt of court and could face up to six months in jail as well as fines.

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School districts would also be required to fire those educators immediately without a hearing, and to ban teachers from being paid “for any day which the public school teacher participates in a strike,” according to the report.

The measure was introduced Friday by state Rep. Paul Lundeen (R) and state Sen. Bob Gardner (R), as Colorado teachers prepare to walk out of schools later this week to demand higher wages and increased funding for schools.

Colorado is the latest state where teachers are demanding more funding. West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona and Kentucky have all seen teacher protests over the past few months.