Some Teachers Standing Down to Stand-Up (Michigan: Right to Work Legislation)

Schools closing as teachers take a stand today

By Chastity Pratt Dawsey and Jennifer Dixon Free Press Staff Writers

   Hundreds of teachers are expected to join the protest against right-to-work legislation in Lansing today, leading school districts to close some schools.

   The Taylor School District sent an automated call to parents Monday, canceling classes because of expected high staff absenteeism. Warren Consolidated Schools also called off school for today because staffers notified the district Monday that they would be absent.

   “While I understand this is somewhat unusual, my No. 1priority is student safety, and without an adequate number of staff members, we cannot hold school,” Warren’s superintendent, Robert Livernois, wrote in a letter to parents.

   John Reilly, president of the Taylor School District Board of Education, said, “We were unable to staff all of our classrooms” after many employees gave notice that they would be absent. He assumed the absenteeism would be because of the protest, but he said teachers do not have to give a reason when they request a personal day off.

   The American Federation of Teachers-Michigan distributed a list of places to board buses to the protest, including four union halls in Detroit, one in Taylor, nine in other metro locations and five outstate locations.

   The Detroit Federation of Teachers was not planning to take busloads of teachers to Lansing but was encouraging teachers to go.

   Asked whether high teacher absenteeism would close schools in Detroit, DFT President Keith Johnson said, “Hopefully.”

   The extent of school closings — if more occur — may not be known until this morning, but local colleges expect to be open. Rick Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the University of Michigan, said there was no indication that faculty and staff planned to be in Lansing in large numbers today, the last day of classes for undergraduates.

   Matt Lockwood, a spokesman for Wayne State University, had not heard of anyone from the university planning to attend the Lansing protests. A spokesman for Michigan State University could not be reached for comment.