Detroit schools closed again in teacher sick-out

MONDAY: Several dozen public schools in Detroit were closed Monday as many teachers staged a “sickout” to protest poor facility conditions on numerous campuses.

A majority of the schools within the Detroit Public Schools are closed due to teacher sick-outs.

Pamela Namyslowski, who teaches 4th-grade at Mann Elementary School in Detroit, posted a lengthy open letter to DPS’s emergency manager Darnell Earley on Friday and by this morning, it had been shared more than 6,000 times. Teachers also said they are dealing with rat and mouse infestations, overcrowded classrooms and supply shortages.

They say that some of the buildings in the Detroit Public School system pose legitimate health hazards to themselves and the students.

The Detroit Parent Network, a nonprofit that aims to improve parental involvement in education, is surveying district parents about the school closings, chief executive Sharlonda Buckman told The Associated Press. Teachers demanded during a rally yesterday that their voices be heard and that the district address what they’ve described as deplorable teaching conditions.

Hecker had a cellphone full of photos taken by a member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers at Osborn High School, including images of fallen ceiling tiles and some kind of growth on walls.

After losing more than 100,000 students over the past 10 years, ballooning debt now costs the district about $1,100 per student.

DFT interim president Ivy Bailey said the adverse conditions inside Detroit schools are nothing new.

Asked about the spate of sickouts, David Murray, a spokesman for Snyder, said: “Detroit children need to be in school”.

– Tuesday was another day of no classes for 24 Detroit Public Schools after another sick-out.

Duggan, while discouraging the sick-out protests, said the city’s Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department would be studying whether school buildings are up to code.

But Steve Conn, the former DFT president who has encouraged the teacher sickouts, called the mayor’s tour a publicity stunt. Duggan said the condition of schools is a “mixed bag”, with some in good shape. “Unfortunately, obtaining that support becomes more challenging with each closure of a school due to a teacher sick-out”, said Earley. In addition to their education, it’s where many children get their best meals and better access to the social services they need. Whiston did not say when the meeting would take place.

Teachers are upset over class sizes, pay, the condition of buildings and a plan by Gov. Rick Snyder to deal with millions of debt by creating a new district.

“We, as teachers, know our students and what they need”.