SCRANTON -- It was a boisterous school board meeting in the city of Scranton Monday night.
The city's teachers are now into their second week of striking, at odds with the district over pay, benefits, and class sizes.
“Gentlemen, would you please distribute the 11,000 petitions that were brought here from Washington,” said Rosemary Boland, the president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers.
As shouts and cheers erupted inside the Scranton High School Auditorium, thousands of petitions were dumped on the Scranton School Board that were collected by the American Federation of Teachers in Washington, D.C., showing national support of the Scranton Federation of Teachers.
“We want you to read what they said, because Scranton, Pennsylvania has made labor history,” said Boland. “You are now known throughout the entire United States of America.”
Scranton teachers faced off against the board during a regular board meeting that comes as the teachers headed into their second week on strike.
Scranton's students begged the board to compromise so they can get back in school.
“Students who are seniors are not able to apply to college because we don't have access to our transcripts and we are not able to coordinate with our guidance counselors or consult the career resource officers,” said Scranton Senior Class President Blaise Beebe.
During the strike, the district suspended all after school activities and sports since coaches who are teachers won't cross the picket line to coach.
Now the union says the district is forcing principals to coach the teams.
That violates PIAA requirements that coaches be certified on concussion and cardiac arrest prevention.
“Today principals were instructed to coach out on our athletic fields. They were instructed by administration to go coach, two of our principals went and coached without that certification,” said parent and teacher Ted Anderson. “What if one of athletes got hurt today? Where does the liability lie?”
The board said after the meeting that all after school activities and sports will remain canceled during the strike.
The board and the union have another negotiating session Tuesday.
