Heartbreaking Posts Reveal the Tragedy of Detroit's Crumbling Public School System
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A majority of Detroit public schools were closed on Wednesday following mass teacher "sickouts." Instructors called in sick to protest the generally poor condition the of the city's schools and the lack of official response.
The protests, which closed 88 Detroit public schools, were scheduled to coincide with a visit from President Barack Obama, a Detroit Federation of Teachers spokesperson, Ann Mitchell, told the Associated Press.
"People couldn't miss the opportunity for us to say, 'This is what's happening and we really need help,'" Mitchell continued. "We really need someone to help focus on the schools."
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The protests also come a day after Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's State of the State address, in which he failed to address teachers' protests over school conditions. The closures Wednesday were just the latest linked to teacher protests in recent weeks, though they were the largest.
While photos showing the decrepit conditions in some Detroit schools circulated on social media and in news stories, parents, students, educators, and activists posted passionate comments on social media, expressing anger and outrage over the fact that conditions were bad enough to garner a strike.
The comment section of the Detroit Public Schools Facebook page contains a number of good examples of the sentiment that many observers have over the situation.
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On Wednesday, Detroit Public Schools filed suit against the teachers, seeking a temporary injunction against further sick out protests in an effort to keep schools open. The AP reports that as of yet it's unclear how the judge in that suit will act.
