Detroit teachers plan more sick-outs

Say what you will about the sickouts conducted by Detroit teachers, but they have been very effective at drawing attention to the plight of students, teachers, and a school district under remote control from Lansing.

The closures cloud what was supposed to be a big and positive day for Detroit, with President Barack Obama in town to visit the North American International Auto Show and celebrate the American automotive industry’s resurgence.

“DPS has requested the court’s intervention in addressing the ongoing teacher sickouts that are plaguing the district”, Michelle Zdrodowski, the spokeswoman for the Detroit Public Schools said in a statement.

Officials at the district, which faces debts over $500 million, told the Detroit Free Press they had no other option but to call off classes at most schools.

Hundreds of people braved snowy conditions to attend the protest outside the convention center, where demonstrators with megaphones led chants of “Snyder out is a must, Detroit won’t go to the back of the bus”.

“It is regrettable that the Detroit Public Schools seeks to punish those who speak out about the deplorable conditions in our schools”.

The Detroit schools are in need of a transformational change, he told lawmakers….

The new district’s board initially would governed by gubernatorial and mayoral appointees, transitioning to a fully elected board in 2021.

Detroit Public Schools teachers say negative working conditions – including overcrowding and insufficient maintenance – that were brought about by starved city and state budgets are hurting students’ education.

Ann Mitchell, administrator of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said some teachers have 45 kids in a class, far over the national average, which ranges from 15 to 23 students per class, depending on grade level, according to federal data.

Teachers have complained of crumbling infrastructure, mold in the classrooms, leaky ceilings and too many students per class. In response, city officials have started inspecting schools for possible code and safety violations.

Mayor Mike Duggan is calling for teachers in the city’s troubled schools to stop staging sick-outs and return to their classrooms while state legislators work on solving the district’s financial crisis.

“This movement has grown, and I think it has grown among the teachers themselves”, Mitchell said. They include getting rid of the emergency manager and restoring programs in the schools. In a video accompanying their petition, the teachers’ group reveals some of the worst of these circumstances in Charles L. Spain Elementary and Middle Schools.

There’s also concern about Gov. Snyder’s bankruptcy-style plan for the district, which has been run by state-appointed emergency managers for almost seven years.

“It looks like there will be over 30 schools out, if not more”, said Bailey.