Almost 60 Detroit schools are closed this morning due to sickouts as teachers continue an organized protest of what they describe as deplorable teaching conditions in Detroit Public Schools.
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“We haven’t sanctioned the sick-outs, but I want everyone to understand the frustration”, said Ivy Bailey, Interim President of the Detroit Federation of Teachers.
More than half of Detroit’s 100 public schools are closed because teachers are absent, a protest that began last week over pay and general turmoil in the district.
A day after more than half of Detroit Public Schools were closed because of a teacher sickout, another wave of schools canceled classes for the day. There are also complaints from teachers of mold problems and the Federation of Teachers are making it known.
“Despite being under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager since 2009, Detroit public schools, the state’s largest district, is failing academically and financially”, the report said. “Students support DPS teachers”, said another.
A teacher and former union president, Steve Conn, said the shutdowns were “great”.
He and state officials have called on the teachers to end the sick-outs.
“Our children need our teachers in the classroom….”
Over the past year, Governor Snyder has taken steps to restructure the Detroit school system, but, so far, the legislature has been unable to reach an agreement.
Duggan said he understands the teachers’ frustrations but urged them to return to work.
Public school officials in Detroit are warning parents of possible closings due to “ongoing sick-outs” by teachers.
A group of over a hundred teachers, joined by parents and children, protest Monday Jan. 11, 2016, in Detroit. “We did not invent this situation, but we’re going to solve this situation”, Conn said. “The mayor even remarked about how handsome the classroom was and how the teacher was doing such a terrific job in such adverse conditions”.
“But to me, really all of those are inexcusable because what I think we see happening in the district in Detroit is really an indictment of the sort of heavy-handed power from the executive branch without any checks or balances”.
WWJ reports that DPS Emergency Manager Darnell Earley said it’s clear that teachers are feeling frustrated over the challenges they face, but he stressed that sickouts are not the way to get the support needed to address the issue.
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State schools Superintendent Brian Whiston said he has scheduled a meeting with Earley to discuss health and safety concerns brought up by the teachers’ union. “But there’s no question about the legitimacy of the issues that they’re raising”, the mayor said.
