Sheridan School District will stop health insurance coverage for staff as teachers strike hits 3 weeks

Teachers and staff in Sheridan School District could lose their health insurance starting May 1 as a teachers strike that began three weeks ago in the tiny Denver metro district drags on.

District officials notified teachers in an email Wednesday that they will no longer receive health insurance benefits through the district and some employees might owe the district money.

"This has been an incredibly challenging time for our entire school community, and I recognize the personal and professional strain that this situation may be placing on you and your families," Jamie Romero, the district's executive director for human resources, wrote in an email obtained by The Colorado Sun. "As the strike continues, we have reached a point where there may be financial implications related to employee benefits. Depending on your individual benefit elections and coverage, there is a possibility that you may be responsible for reimbursing the District for your portion of benefit premiums that have been paid during this time."

The email notes that employees can continue receiving health care coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, and they would have to pay the cost of their premium.

Kate Biester, president of Sheridan Educators Association and a social studies teacher, wrote in a statement that the district's plan to no longer cover health insurance for staff is an indication that district officials are "more interested in punishing educators for going on strike than getting us all back into our classrooms."

"Our negotiations are at a standstill because the district wants us to work without the basic workplace protections we need," Biester wrote in the statement. "Cutting us, and our families, off from basic healthcare access doesn't achieve any policy goals here; it's just cruel."

The local union began striking April 1 after educators have worked the entire school year without an active teachers contract. The previous contract expired July 31 and the union is urging the district to recognize the union as a bargaining unit. Union and district leaders remain gridlocked over a district policy that lays out the process for the district to recognize a union.

Tensions have continued building with no progress in restarting negotiations. The Sheridan Educators Association is threatening to recall the district's four school board members while state lawmakers are crafting legislation that would consolidate Sheridan School District with another district, possibly Denver Public Schools.

This is a developing story that will be updated.