St. Louis teachers to protest district’s reopening plan, in-person learning
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St. Louis, MO ( KMOV) — Teachers within the St. Louis Public School District (SLPS) are taking part in a silent protest to show they’re not comfortable with in-person learning at schools.
The teachers will hold a sit-in at 2 p.m. in front of the district’s main office on 11th Street in downtown St. Louis.
The group said they will not take part in a reopening plan that they believe risks the lives of students, staff and parents. Organizers are calling for online learning to be the only option until the city of St. Louis has 30 consecutive days of no new COVID-19 cases.
Also, the educators are asking for hazard pay, class size limits of 10 students and a fulltime nurse, social worker or counselor in every building.
To ensure they’re onboard with the plan that is rolled out, teachers are also asking to be included on every committee to talk about their classroom needs and the needs of parents.
“We are looking at this plan. It’s not dead in the water, it moves everyday. We just got the collaborative plan that was released and some people are looking at it as if it were written in stone and it’s not,” said Head of SLPS Teacher’s Union Byron Clemens. “We’re going to move things positively but our first job is to look after the health and safety of our children and then our employees and the community at large.”
Clemens says the district has been very receptive to many of the concerns teachers and staff have about returning to school.
Options like outdoor learning remain strong possibilities.
He is also calling on local corporations and non-profits to assist in providing any additional PPE supplies schools may need to stay safe.
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