Mayor: Teachers in sick-out should return to schools

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.

Many schools have been closed since Monday.

Many of those who chanted and carried signs were Detroit Public Schools teachers who were taking part in a massive sick-out Wednesday that closed the majority of the district’s schools.

Wednesday’s sickout coincides with a visit from President Barack Obama to the North American International Auto Show (which is held in Detroit) to celebrate the American automotive industry’s resurgence.

“People couldn’t miss the opportunity for us to say, this is what’s happening and we really need help”, she said.

Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand.

Mayor Mike Duggan has called for teachers to stop the sick-outs and return to their classrooms while state legislators work on solving the district’s financial crisis, saying the “frustrations are legitimate, but the solution is not to send the kids home”.

“DPS has requested the court’s intervention in addressing the ongoing teacher sick outs that are plaguing the district”, spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said in a statement, adding: “There will be no further comment until we receive direction from the court”.

The closures are the latest in a string of recent school closings caused by teacher sickouts.

Most of Detroit’s public schools are closed for the day due to teacher absences.

Teachers have been holding a series of “sick-outs” to call attention to high class sizes, dilapidated buildings and other problems in Michigan’s largest school district. Snyder explained his proposed plan to split the school district into two parts, with one entity dedicated to educating Detroit’s children and the other existing to address the school system’s debt. “Another rally is planned for 3 p.m. outside Clippert Academy to protest the layoffs of bilingual clerical staff at some schools”, said The Detroit Free Press. The commission’s findings are expected later this year.

Duggan met Tuesday with Detroit’s delegation in the Legislature to work out their strategy on trying to improve conditions in the schools, which he says “are only getting worse. And I’ve seen some buildings that would break your heart”.

And this image purports to show a bullet hole in a school’s wall that has gone unrepaired.