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She continued...

If districts don’t address the unique needs of teachers with children, many teachers will make the tough choice to prioritize their families over their students. This means they may quit the profession precisely when we need them most. In my home state of Arizona, 24 percent of our classrooms already lacked a full-time teacher back in January. As the national teacher shortage crisis grows, any additional loss could be disastrous for our nation’s children.

If Mace returns to the classroom and her husband returns to work, she does not feel safe sending her kids back to school, which she relies on for childcare. Mace said she and her husband do not have backup childcare.

Until COVID-19 cases decrease substantially, Mace added, she would like to work from home and have her children continue online schooling from home.

She hopes her district would understand that educators who are parents deciding to homeschool their children need more flexibility during this balancing act.

\"I fully believe that I could complete all the duties that my job entails, so long as I know I have their support to be flexible,\" Mace said.

\"PHOTO:
Heather Mace
PHOTO: Heather Mace, an educator from Tucson, Arizona, poses in front of her laptop as she works from home amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
>

\"I do not want to quit. I'll do everything in my power to not quit but I have to consider it. I love my job. I want to go back.\"

ABC News' Mariya Moseley contributed to this report.

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