CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After 14 years of teaching, there's little that catches Melissa Easley off guard in the classroom.

But at home, teaching on a computer, it's a different story.

“Teaching online is what my master's is in and this has been the biggest challenge," Easley says.

She's being pulled in two directions. She teaches at McClintock Middle School and has to help her two kids as they learn from home.

“My daughter is struggling,” Easley says.

It reached a boiling point in early November, just a few weeks before her students were set to return to in-person classes.

“It was incredibly tough,” Easley says.

Easley says she and her husband have underlying health conditions, and she says it would be unsafe to return, so, she took a leave of absence. She says she's heard other teachers are considering doing the same.

“It was very emotional for me. I've never had to take a leave before. The only other time I took a semi-extended leave was when I had my youngest son," Easley says.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says as of mid-November, the number of teachers on COVID-related leave is relatively low compared to other groups. The district has had a shortage of bus drivers after many took leaves of absences.

But Easley worries it could get worse.

“I think it's getting worse and worse and worse, and it's going to continue to get worse if the district doesn't start to look at the science and not the frustration of people,” Easley says.

Easley says her leave of absence through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act only goes through the holidays. That means in January, she could have to return.

That's why she recently decided to resign permanently.  

CMS says, as of mid-November, teacher vacancies, resignations, and retirements seem to be about the same as prior years.

Officials say they will continue to monitor the next several months to see if there are any trends.