Teacher Strike Impacts 13,000 Students
(DailyVantage.com) – Debates over whether teachers receive adequate compensation for their jobs are long-running. Still, in Massachusetts, educators in Haverhill and Malden, who felt they’d worked in unfair conditions, took things into their own hands. Unfortunately, the teachers’ solution meant more than 10,000 kids suffered as schools closed for days at a time.
Teacher strikes began in both towns on Monday, October 17, after educators overwhelmingly voted for the action on Friday. Their demands included pay increases, smaller class sizes, and safer environments. Some participants even called for racial equity. Both towns closed schools as the teachers protested.
The Malden School Committee and Malden Education Association reached a tentative agreement on Monday, so children in those districts returned to school on Tuesday. However, it was a different story in Haverhill, where they canceled classes for a second day.
No classes in Haverhill for a second straight day, as the teachers' union and school committee head to court, while the strike continues #WCVB pic.twitter.com/YTMdHoVyp5
— Matt Reed (@MattReedNews) October 18, 2022
Public employee strikes are illegal in Massachusetts, and both the Massachusetts Labor Board and the Haverhill School Committee requested an injunction, which a judge issued on Monday, ordering teachers back into the classrooms. They didn’t comply.
Haverhill Education Association President Tim Briggs said educators chose to strike because “students deserve better.” Still, does missing school and learning opportunities in the meantime really help kids?
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