On Jan. 2, 1919, Denver slowly returned to normal after its flu epidemic, and schools reopened. Schoolteachers came close to not receiving pay for the weeks their schools were closed.

The heads of the school districts maintained that the epidemic was an “act of God,” and therefore the school system was released from the bounds of its contracts. It took the intervention of Colorado Attorney General Leslie E. Hubbard to rule that the contracts were binding on both parties, and that teachers were entitled to their pay so long as they were willing and able to carry out their duties.