St. Paul Educators Strike, Demand Mental-Health Supports in School
“We sent up red flags—large, large red flags—and were completely ignored,” says one St. Paul, Minnesota, educator. Meanwhile, “there [are] multiple children in each classroom in desperate need of extra time, attention, and care.”
With these children and their critical needs in mind, St. Paul educators went on strike on Tuesday for the first time since 1946. After nine months at the bargaining table, school district officials have refused to move on issues, like increasing mental-health supports, that St. Paul educators and parents believe essential to the health and success of their children.
“District leaders don’t understand the urgency of these issues. Educators do—we see them every day in our schools. Our students can’t wait any longer,” said Nick Faber, president of the St. Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE).
From the beginning, SPFE’s top priorities have been to secure more mental-health supports in every school, more multi-lingual staff to make children and families feel welcome, additional educators to work with students with special needs, and an expansion of restorative practices.
The last proposal that SPFE made to district officials on Monday night accounts CONTINUE READING: St. Paul Educators Strike, Demand Mental-Health Supports in School - NEA Today