DETROIT – Police arrested 20 people Thursday morning during a protest of Detroit summer school classes being held during the coronavirus pandemic.
Protesters were using vehicles to block school buses outside a bus yard. Officers eventually moved in to have the vehicles towed.
Overall, four vehicles were towed and 20 people were arrested -- 13 males and 7 females.
The buses quickly moved to go pick up students. Last week, many students were stranded at bus stops while buses were blocked from leaving the yard.
If you look beyond the protesters you can see that they have parked a few cars down the street blocking the buses from leaving. Police are still making arrests. pic.twitter.com/ml4Lmc7NyO
— Chuck Jackson (@NewsDeskChuck) July 23, 2020
Happening now - #Detroit police have moved in to start arresting the protestors that are blocking DPSCD summer school buses from picking up kids. pic.twitter.com/NopNCu5e6f
— Chuck Jackson (@NewsDeskChuck) July 23, 2020
Update - Buses are leaving to pick up kids. pic.twitter.com/6wcYvxS9Ck
— Chuck Jackson (@NewsDeskChuck) July 23, 2020
Judge orders new safety rules for DPSCD summer school
Earlier this week, a judge ruled the in-person summer school classes can continue in the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) after a lawsuit was filed to halt the classes.
While the judge decided that the classes can continue, all of the students attending those classes need to have COVID-19 tests or the in-person learning could be shut down.
Related: Detroit’s in-person summer school classes can continue with virus testing
That means testing all 630 students in a tight time frame. The Detroit Health Department and the DPSCD are in high gear to work together to test the students. While the district is complying with social distancing, face masks, hand sanitizing, temperature checks, and student teacher ratios of 15:1.
Summer school in the DPSCD began last week. A lawsuit was filed by parents, teachers, students and activist group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) against the district. The suit was seeking to sop summer school and first went before the judge on Friday.
With the judge’s decision this week, protesters are allowed to continue their demonstration but they must stop impeding the buses that pick up students.
Here is Paula Tutman’s report from Wednesday:
More: Inside Detroit summer school classrooms during pandemic
More: Share your thoughts, concerns about return to in-person learning