The list of Detroit Public Schools closed to day because of teacher sick-outs has grown to 24.
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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.
A “substantial” number of teachers from at least 40 schools in Detroit’s public school district will participate in a “sickout” on Monday, the Guardian has learned.
Thousands of students were out of school Monday in Detroit after a planned teacher “sick-out” forced the school system to close almost two-thirds of the city’s public schools, according to alerts sent out by the district.
The Holmes school has mice running around, wet and peeling ceilings, and broken and cracked entry steps that have been mended with wood, the teachers union contended.
“… For our students to learn in quality learning environments, they and their parents should be able expect that their buildings will be safe, and conducive to learning”.
While this isn’t a strike, Detroit Public Schools teachers know that strikes are illegal and say they’ve been pushed into a corner because of pay reductions, class-size, debt management and now the classroom itself. “Unfortunately, obtaining that support becomes more challenging with each closure of a school due to a teacher sick-out”, said Earley.
But the city can inspect the buildings to make sure they comply with city code.
Aside from building inspections, Duggan has no control over the school district, and neither does the board of education.
The Detroit district is Michigan’s largest and has been under continuous state oversight for almost seven years.
The city has $515 million in debt and has lost 100,000 students since 1999, the newspaper reported. For those who missed it, the City of Flint is at the center of a fiasco stemming from children acquiring lead poisoning, and fingers are being pointed to Gov. Rick Snyder and his emergency manager appointment plans. “The mayor even remarked about how lovely the classroom was and how the teacher was doing such a terrific job in such adverse conditions”. “If buildings have health and safety issues, they need to be addressed immediately with the district administration and all appropriate agencies”.
A message seeking a response was left with Earley’s office.
Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.
Meanwhile, Mayor Mike Duggan’s office said Monday night that the mayor will be visiting several DPS schools this week to investigate complaints.
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The teachers union, the Detroit Federation of Teachers, is not part of the sick-out, which teachers have undertaken to protest their pay and call for smaller class sizes, among other things. We have been set up to fail in every way.
