The Strongsville teachers strike is about to end its second week. Parents angry about the ongoing strike are planning a rally against the teachers. Community members and some students have repeatedly complained about the behavior in front of schools to local media outlets.
Striking teachers have been accused of bad behavior by parents dropping their children off at the Strongsville School District . One teacher was arrested for allegedly trying to stop a van full of substitutes from reaching the building. Another teacher was cited for related behavior at another school building.
Strongsville High School cheerleading coach Laura Phillips stated there is a lot of bullying going on by the Ohio striking teachers . Phillips also said, “I feel like the parents need to speak. In today’s economy, people should be happy to have a job, period.” The high school coach added that the children are the ones who are being made to suffer.
The last time the Strongsville School District place a levy on the ballot to increase teacher wages and benefits, 80 percent of voters struck down the measure. Ohio Department of Education statistics indicate that the median teacher salary in the district is approximately $65,000 per year. Teachers only work nine months out of the year, so their pay is pro-rated during the summer months.
Animosity is reportedly growing in Strongsville as the teachers strike rages on. A growing number of parents and students feel like they are now pitted against the teachers they have known for years. Protesting parents were seen holding signs which reads, “Break the SEA” and “Kids come first.”
Strongsville graduate, Alyssa Moran, 20, said many parents are angry over the behavior of picketing teachers. The former student also noted that parents feel the educators are not behaving like adults. The young woman recalled being yelled at by the striking Ohio teachers when she drove onto campus to bring her little brother the lunch he had forgotten.
A Facebook group was created by a group comprised of “parents, taxpayers, and otherwise concerned citizens to organize the March 15 rally in protest of the strike. Ohio is one of only a few states that permit teachers to strike, or strike without some type of penalty.
How do you feel about the behavior of those on the picket line at the Strongsville teachers strike?