It doesn't give a complete picture. But it is important to note the DOPS is
under an emergency manager, and has been for years. That means no local
control and it is run by the State of Michigan i.e. Snyder.
Oh, yes and the same emergency manager running the Detroit Schools now is
the former E.M. of the City of Flint, Darnell Early who played a pivatal
role in the Flint water disaster!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2016 12:12 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Detroit's Teachers Are Holding a Massive
'Sickout' to Protest the Conditions in Their Schools
I'm not sure this article gives a complete picture about how terrible the
physical conditions of the schools is. Democracy Now reported it yesterday.
If I find a transcript, I'll post it.
Miriam
Quinlan writes: "Detroit's public school teachers are staging mass
'sickouts' - which involves large groups of teachers across the city all
calling in sick to work - to protest against what they call 'deplorable
conditions,' such as mold, warped floors, and dead rats."
In a photo from May 16, 2013, at Crosman School in Detroit, water pools on
the warped tile of what was once a basketball court. No one knows how long
the water has flowed through the moldy bowels of the massive building a few
miles north of downtown, but Crosman has been closed since 2007. (photo:
Carlos Osorio/AP)
Detroit's Teachers Are Holding a Massive 'Sickout' to Protest the Conditions
in Their Schools
By Casey Quinlan, ThinkProgress
21 January 16
Detroit's public school teachers are staging mass "sickouts" - which
involves large groups of teachers across the city all calling in sick to
work - to protest against what they call "deplorable conditions," such as
mold, warped floors, and dead rats.
The sickouts first started on January 11 and have gained momentum since
then. As many as 91 percent of Detroit Public Schools were closed on
Wednesday because there weren't enough teachers available.
But Detroit Public Schools is determined to open its public schools again.
An attorney for DPS filed an emergency court motion on Wednesday for a
restraining order and preliminary injuction that would stop teachers from
continuing the sickout, according to the Detroit News.
The Detroit Federation of Teachers, 23 teachers, activists supporting the
sickout, and several union officials were named in the filing. "DPS has
requested the court's intervention in addressing the ongoing teacher sick
outs that are plaguing the district. There will be no further comment until
we receive direction from the court," said executive director of
communications for DPS, Michelle A. Zdrodowski.
"It would be so much more productive to actually do something to fix Detroit
schools rather than file restraining orders against those who expose the
miserable conditions," Detroit Federation Teachers Interim President Ivy
Bailey said in response to the motion. "If Mr. Earley - the same emergency
manager responsible for the Flint water crisis - wants to come after
teachers, we're ready for a fight."
The ongoing Flint water crisis, in which residents' drinking water became
contaminated with lead after the city changed its supply source, is
inextricably linked to the Detroit Public Schools sickouts. Teachers are
angry that Darnell Earley - the same person who served as emergency manager
for Flint from 2013 until just earlier this month - recently assumed office
as the school system's emergency manager. Earley's move caused acrimony
among teachers who are already concerned about school conditions.
Detroit Public Schools is also in a lot of debt. Next month, the school
system will have to pay $26 million per month to service over $260 million
in loans that were taken out to keep the schools functioning, a substantial
increase from the roughly $15 million in monthly debt payments Detroit
Public Schools had last year, and these payments don't even cover all of the
school's debt. DPS could face bankruptcy.
Earley has said that closing schools during the sickout "further jeopardizes
the limited resources the district has available to educate its students and
address the many challenges it faces."
Steve Conn, the former president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers union
- who was recently ousted after he was found guilty of misconduct in August
- has indicated the group he leads, the Detroit Strike to Win Committee,
will vote on a strike demand to remove Earley. Conn said the committee will
meet Thursday night to vote on a list of strike demands. Protesters also
called for the resignation of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) ordered a district-wide
inspection of every school.
The longer the sickouts continue, the more attention Detroit is receiving
for the school conditions the union describes. Detroit teachers continue to
tweet out photos of the conditions of Detroit schools under the Twitter
handle @teachDetroit.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton commented on the sickouts
in a tweet sent Thursday morning, pointing out that these school conditions
wouldn't be tolerated in more affluent parts of the country.
Students are suffering academically in these conditions as well. Detroit's
academic performance has been in last place along large city school
districts for every year since 2012, The New York Times reported. Among
fourth-graders, only 27 percent are proficient in reading and 36 percent are
proficient in math.
As of 8:30 a.m., the Detroit Free Press reports there have been no signs of
sickouts continuing today.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
In a photo from May 16, 2013, at Crosman School in Detroit, water pools on
the warped tile of what was once a basketball court. No one knows how long
the water has flowed through the moldy bowels of the massive building a few
miles north of downtown, but Crosman has been closed since 2007. (photo:
Carlos Osorio/AP)
http://thinkprogress.org/education/2016/01/21/3741429/detroit-teacher-sickou
t/http://thinkprogress.org/education/2016/01/21/3741429/detroit-teacher-sick
out/
Detroit's Teachers Are Holding a Massive 'Sickout' to Protest the Conditions
in Their Schools
By Casey Quinlan, ThinkProgress
21 January 16
etroit's public school teachers are staging mass "sickouts" - which
involves large groups of teachers across the city all calling in sick to
work - to protest against what they call "deplorable conditions," such as
mold, warped floors, and dead rats.
The sickouts first started on January 11 and have gained momentum since
then. As many as 91 percent of Detroit Public Schools were closed on
Wednesday because there weren't enough teachers available.
But Detroit Public Schools is determined to open its public schools again.
An attorney for DPS filed an emergency court motion on Wednesday for a
restraining order and preliminary injuction that would stop teachers from
continuing the sickout, according to the Detroit News.
The Detroit Federation of Teachers, 23 teachers, activists supporting the
sickout, and several union officials were named in the filing. "DPS has
requested the court's intervention in addressing the ongoing teacher sick
outs that are plaguing the district. There will be no further comment until
we receive direction from the court," said executive director of
communications for DPS, Michelle A. Zdrodowski.
"It would be so much more productive to actually do something to fix Detroit
schools rather than file restraining orders against those who expose the
miserable conditions," Detroit Federation Teachers Interim President Ivy
Bailey said in response to the motion. "If Mr. Earley - the same emergency
manager responsible for the Flint water crisis - wants to come after
teachers, we're ready for a fight."
The ongoing Flint water crisis, in which residents' drinking water became
contaminated with lead after the city changed its supply source, is
inextricably linked to the Detroit Public Schools sickouts. Teachers are
angry that Darnell Earley - the same person who served as emergency manager
for Flint from 2013 until just earlier this month - recently assumed office
as the school system's emergency manager. Earley's move caused acrimony
among teachers who are already concerned about school conditions.
Detroit Public Schools is also in a lot of debt. Next month, the school
system will have to pay $26 million per month to service over $260 million
in loans that were taken out to keep the schools functioning, a substantial
increase from the roughly $15 million in monthly debt payments Detroit
Public Schools had last year, and these payments don't even cover all of the
school's debt. DPS could face bankruptcy.
Earley has said that closing schools during the sickout "further jeopardizes
the limited resources the district has available to educate its students and
address the many challenges it faces."
Steve Conn, the former president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers union
- who was recently ousted after he was found guilty of misconduct in August
- has indicated the group he leads, the Detroit Strike to Win Committee,
will vote on a strike demand to remove Earley. Conn said the committee will
meet Thursday night to vote on a list of strike demands. Protesters also
called for the resignation of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) ordered a district-wide
inspection of every school.
The longer the sickouts continue, the more attention Detroit is receiving
for the school conditions the union describes. Detroit teachers continue to
tweet out photos of the conditions of Detroit schools under the Twitter
handle @teachDetroit.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton commented on the sickouts
in a tweet sent Thursday morning, pointing out that these school conditions
wouldn't be tolerated in more affluent parts of the country.
Students are suffering academically in these conditions as well. Detroit's
academic performance has been in last place along large city school
districts for every year since 2012, The New York Times reported. Among
fourth-graders, only 27 percent are proficient in reading and 36 percent are
proficient in math.
As of 8:30 a.m., the Detroit Free Press reports there have been no signs of
sickouts continuing today.
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
