CINCINNATI, Ohio—As parents of students have been faced with difficult decisions on the upcoming school year, many teachers feel left out of the conversation. 

​​Ali Lopez was about to start her sixth year of teaching and fourth in the Oak Hills School District. But when she found out the reopening plan, that all changed.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty, there’s a lot of fear," Lopez said. "So much fear. And it’s not clear. Questions aren’t being answered. The safety is not prioritized at all.”

Oak Hills is set to go back to school the first week of September. Lopez says she wasn’t comfortable being in a crowded school building.

“Teachers should not be forced into unsafe working conditions without any other alternative than to resign," Lopez said.

But that’s what Lopez felt was the right decision for her, and she says many other teachers in her district have reached out to her thanking her for voicing their concerns.

“They have the exact same concerns and the exact same fears and worries," she said. "The system is not set up for us to hear the teachers’ voices. Right now they’re being told what to do and they’re not being considered in part of the conversation.”

Oak Hills School District says they are doing all they can to ensure the safety of staff and teachers. Including a week of professional development on health and safety before the school year, utilizing more indoor and outdoor space to ensure social distancing, one-way hallways, and requiring masks. The school district stated on its Guidelines for reopening that it “recognizes that staff, students and families may experience additional stress and anxiety throughout the 2020-2021 school year in response to COVID-19.”

Lopez says her main issue is not being included in conversations of how the school year would look. She hopes this allows for more teachers voices to be heard.

“No one wants their school to look bad because like I said, I loved my experience, I loved my school and that is not my intention at all," Lopez said. "I’m here to say that teachers all over the country need to be heard.”

While Lopez says she’ll miss her students this fall, she knew she had to set an example of what to do when you stand up for your beliefs. She hopes others decide to listen to teachers’ concerns.

“Teaching conditions are our students learning conditions, so we really have to listen to our teachers who are speaking up," she said. "And we really need to answer their questions in order to keep our communities and students safe.”