Posted on 12/19/2012 10:55:48 AM PST by MichCapCon
At least 26,000 children will miss school today because their teachers called in sick or took a vacation day to protest proposed right-to-work legislation, which is expected to pass today.
Warren Consolidated Schools, Taylor School District and Fitzgerald Public Schools are confirmed to be closed. It is also suggested that schools in Detroit and St. Johns may be missing a significant number of teachers.
"We've had an excessive number of teachers call in," Warren district spokesperson Robert Freehan said Monday afternoon. "We're concerned about the safety and security of the students, so we're treating it as a snow day."
Ben Lazarus is a school board member-elect for Warren Consolidated. He believes the district, but not the teachers, made the right call.
"I think that political agendas shouldn't take precedence over student learning," said Lazarus. "I think the superintendent made the best decision with the facts available."
The Warren district is the 9th-largest school district in Michigan. More than 15,000 students attend Warren Consolidated Schools. Parents will now have to scramble to find alternative care for their children because of the excessive teacher absences.
Warren Consolidated Schools is the second school district to announce closing in anticipation of a large protest in Lansing against proposed right-to-work legislation. Taylor School District Superintendent Diane Allen told WDIV that the district would be closed because so many teachers were taking sick or vacation days to attend rallies in Lansing.
Detroit Federation of Teachers president Keith Johnson anticipates "a huge crowd" in Lansing for the protest. When asked by the Free Press if any Detroit Public Schools would be closed, he said, "Hopefully."
Some roads near the Capitol building will also be closed on Tuesday, due to anticipated protests and rallies.
At least one other district could be affected by the "sick out." A parent in St. Johns Public Schools north of Lansing with children in the district said they were warned by their teachers that "most of them would not be at school [on Tuesday] because they were attending the protest and if enough substitutes were not found, they would close school."
Fitzgerald Public Schools in Warren was is also closed because of staff absences. FPS Superintendent Barbara VanSweden announced on the school website, "FPS is closed on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 due to the number of staff that are absent. The district will be closed just like a snow day. My first priority is student safety and without an adequate number of staff, we cannot hold school."
Freehan estimated that "several hundred" teachers called in sick or said that they would take vacation. The calls began early Monday morning, he said, and continued throughout the day. The district employs about 800 teachers, he said.
"We felt the best approach was to cancel school completely as well as extracurricular activities," he said. "You can't have students in school with just two staff members there."
Lazarus believes right-to-work and other proposed educational reform bills need to be discussed, but that it would be beneficial for legislators to gather more input and information. And a "sick out" is the wrong way to go.
"I do understand that they have a political position," Lazarus added. "[But] the first priority of a teacher should be student learning and I don't think this adds to that."
Bur it’s for the chillrun you see.
When your union loyalties overrule your loyalty to the children, you need a new line of work.
Plenty of people looking for work these days.
Do I see some teaching positions opening up in a right to work state??
Is there no hope for kids?
Loony nutters on one end are trying to shoot them, The government is trying to bankrupt them, and the teachers are abandoning them after they try to get into their pants.
what will our children do without their daily propaganda infusion?
try having most cops or nurses call in "sick" and chaos/crisis/death would occur...
but you know, the teachers only get about 2 weeks for Christmas vacation, and you know that just ain't enough..../sarcasm/
what will really get to the parents and voters finally is little Billy can't play in the BB game because the facilities are closed....
I remember fondly making little Christmas presents for Mom and Dad the week before Christmas at school...now the kids won’t even be able to do that....
Good lesson in civics for the kiddies. Laws don’t mean much unless it’s against unions. Will they find a doctor to give them sick-out excuses?
“...we’re treating it as a snow day.”
In other words, the insubordinate teachers won’t be charged a sick day, it will just be an excused absence. How convenient!
They can’t treat it as a snow day because it’s not a snow day. They should call it what it is - a forced closure due to union thugs not doing their jobs.
When employees don’t show up you either hire new ones or go out of business.
Since they can not hire replacements Warren Consolidated Schools, Taylor School District, and Fitzgerald Public Schools will soon be out of business. Oh that’s right it’s government run, money is unlimited. /s
Hire replacements and let the union sue. You walk off the job you loose the job, idiots.
Teacher’s bullying taxpayers.
Union teacher stooges strike against the right of people to work. Women and Children hurt the most...........
Counterculture Union File.
Yet they want to be called “professionals” and be paid as such...
Now that its a right to work state can’t they just be let go with no explanation ?
It’s too bad we don’t have a Ronald Reagan in the WH to tell the teachers to get their butts back on the job or lose it. The air traffic controllers had to learn the hard way when they pressed Reagan. Of course, wimpy, who is pro-union won’t do a thing about it. Its all for the children - huh? Wrong. Maybe the parents will wake up and see just who controls their schools and teachers, and who really cares about the chillun. It sure as heck isn’t the NEA.
2
School vouchers are the only way to go.
Let them be subject to market forces like the rest of the real world is.
Real contrast between the heroism displayed last Friday and the folks abandoning their Students for the Union. Gotta wonder.
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