Judge Grants Restraining Order Against AFT to Keep Schools Open, Protests at Bay By Source Staff
St. Croix Superior Court Judge Douglas Brady has scheduled a hearing for Friday morning to determine whether a temporary restraining order (TRO) he granted to stop the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) from protesting will become permanent.
2023-09-29 16:06:25 - VI News Staff
The job actions by members of the American Federation of Teachers Local 1826 — who have been without a contract since Aug. 31 — began last Wednesday, with teachers calling in sick and then picketing to voice their grievances. Because of the job actions, all PreK-6 and PreK-8 public schools, along with John H. Woodson Junior High were closed, with early dismissals announced later in the day for St. Croix’s two high schools and the Career and Technical Institute at Educational Complex.
Some of the concerns included excessive heat in classrooms, electrical upgrades, water issues, lack of supplies, lack of internet connectivity, employee shortages, lack of school nurses, large class sizes without paraprofessional support, lack of copy machines, lack of a special education director, proper maintenance of buildings, deplorable working conditions, insufficient school buses, rodents and termites, school security, installation of kitchen equipment, repair of broken freezers and coolers and air quality testing.
Citing learning disruptions that now need to be made up with additional instruction days, the government filed its request for a temporary restraining order on Monday after student protests the Friday before once again shut down St. Croix’s two public high schools.
“The continued actions by Defendants will result in immediate and irreparable injury to Plaintiff, the staff and most importantly to the students’ education as the missed days from the job action taken by AFT members will need to made up either by shortening holiday leave and/or adding additional instruction days at the end of the school year,” according to the suit, which was filed by Education through the Office of Collective Bargaining.