Great Lakes Education Project Calls on Nessel, Rice, Vitti and Whitmer to Uphold Oath of Office
Detroit Families Deserve a Quality Education with the Option of In-Person Learning
LANSING –The Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP) today issued the following statement about the vote taken by the Detroit Federation of Teachers to authorize a strike.
“The Detroit Federation of Teachers has shown blatant disregard for the law and more importantly for Detroit families and students. Their vote to approve an illegal strike is putting the education of tens of thousands of families in jeopardy after almost six months out of the classroom since Governor Whitmer shut schools down in the Spring. State law allows for a district superintendent or state superintendent to take action on a teacher strike. Additionally, the Governor and Attorney General have the ability to fully enforce all state laws and should pursue all options. They should move swiftly on their oath of office to uphold state law if this strike moves forward.”
“By this vote, the DFT is saying their work is less essential than the hard-working gas station clerks, grocery store workers or McDonald’s cooks who have been showing up to work every day since the beginning of this pandemic. We disagree. While Dr. Vitti has been actively working to provide in-person and online options for Detroit families, he should step-in to stop this illegal strike if it happens. State Superintendent Rice, Attorney General Nessel and Governor Whitmer should join him in acting immediately to ensure that families have access to an education this school year.”
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