DETROIT – The Detroit Federation of Teachers said the district is not ensuring their safety on the job.
The membership is threatening a work stoppage if Detroit schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti does not pull the plug on face-to-face learning, which is scheduled to start on Sept. 8.
For months, the administration for the state’s largest school district with 51,000 students has insisted parents must have a choice between remote and face-to-face learning.
READ: Here’s what Michigan school districts have planned for the fall amid the pandemic
Terrance Martin, who represents around 4,300 staffers in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, said his membership does not feel safe returning to the classroom. On Wednesday, it will vote to strike and teachers involved in remote learning will not be crossing the picket line.
The union said it has not been part of the planning process in a way that it feels it has enough information or safety to send its membership back into the classroom.