Join the Feb. 17 Nationwide Walk-Ins for the Schools All Our Children Deserve!
The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is linking together parents, educators, students, school staff and community members in dozens of cities across the country on February 17 as they WALK-IN to support the quality public schools that all our students deserve.
What are Walk-Ins?
Just that! Parents, teachers and students gather out front of their school 30-45 minutes before their duty-day starts. They picket, have donuts, coffee, etc. And then they all walk in to their schools together.
Given the never ending attacks on public education that many of our cities endure, this provides a positive action that that says that these are our schools and our communities. It also builds solidarity amongst our members as they will feel the power of collective action without risking arrest or retaliation. Walk-ins build relationships. Walk-ins build power. Walk-ins build hope.
National Message / Local Flavor
The Walk-Ins will have a national message frame something like this:
Teachers, parents and students are walking in to reclaim our schools and advocate for the public schools all children deserve.
But each individual city will have its own local focus or flavor. In Milwaukee, folks are fighting against the takeover and chartering of their schools. In San Diego, the focus is opting out of high-stakes tests. In Seattle, they’re fighting for more funding. In your city, your coalition of labor and community partners will tailor your walk-in to the issue that is right for you.
What’s the Point?
The walk-ins have been used in different cities for different reasons and purposes:
During their contract campaign two years ago, The St. Paul Federation of Teachers organized walk-ins. The actions gave them the high road message of taking back our schools, and gave people courage and built confidence in their ability to pull off big collective actions. They report that the walk-in effort also gave them a very solid assessment of where their membership was at. And the district settled almost immediately afterwards because they knew a strike threat was real and that community support was on the side of educators. Watch this great video showing and describing a St. Paul walk-in.
In Milwaukee (MTEA), two sets of walk-ins have protested a new law that could result in Milwaukee public schools being taken over and converted to charters. As a result of the walk-ins, by a united coalition of parents, educators and students, the power brokers are backing off. By organizing walk-ins at over 105 schools MTEA has built 105 community organizations ready to defend their public schools. The actions have also created an incredible opportunity to build a base of parents and community members who can be allies in future events. Watch some videos from Milwaukee walk-ins here andhere.
Where Will Walk-Ins Be Happening on February 17?
So far, the following cities have committed to coordinated walk-ins on February 17:
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Boulder
- Camden
- Cincinnati
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Grand Junction
- Green Bay
- La Crosse
- Los Angeles
- Milwaukee
- Newark
- Pittsburgh
- Pueblo (CO)
- Racine
- San Diego
- Seattle
- St. Paul
We hope you can join us on February 17!
For more information, check out the resources below or email to Ldingerson@gmail.com.
For more information, check out the resources below or email to Ldingerson@gmail.com.
Walk In Resources:
- One Pager: Brief description of the nationwide walk-in action planned for February 17, 2016.
- Site Coordinator Form: Sample form you can use to collect information from each of your school sites on the day of the walk-ins to document participation, event highlights, and media hits.
- Building Walk-In Commitment Form: Template you can use to sign up school sites to walk-in on February 17.
- Flyer: Feel free to personalize this template for outreach in your city, and be sure to put in a local contact for folks who are interested!