(WWJ) Some teachers predict they and their colleagues at the Detroit Public Schools will vote today to skip in-person learning this fall.
And if the district does not go along with that plan, some expect a strike vote. A strike vote by the Detroit Federation of Teachers is expected at 4:30 p.m. today.
One teacher told WWJ's Vickie Thomas that "teachers are prepared to protect ourselves and our students and if that means not going to work (so be it.) ... "If the governor won't shut it down, if Dr. Vitti and the school board won't shut it down, then we'll have to."
Union leaders say the strike vote would not be a work stoppage, it would be a demand that they teach online-only.
Laura Washington, an English teacher at Renaissance High School, added that reactions are mixed from students at the prospect of missing more classroom time.
"Some are heartbroken, some are afraid," Washington said.
She said older students are more understanding of what's going on around them. Washington said she had one student, a senior, test positive for coronavirus yesterday despite the fact none of his family has the virus. He was asymptomatic.
For its part, the Detroit school district plans to reopen for in-person learning with limited classroom size, deep cleaning and other safety measures.
For a full list of school plans by district, CLICK HERE.
The state is setting up guidelines for schools, including masks for kids sixth grade and above, staggered start times and on-off days, classrooms that double as lunchrooms and more intense cleaning schedules, but they expect district to make their own decisions about whether to open for in-person learning, online only or a hybrid of the two.
About 40 districts have reported plans to go in-person and 30 have outlined plans for online-only learning.
Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has been a vocal proponent of returning children to classrooms, saying that Detroit kids need to be in school.
"We do not believe DFT will participate in unlawful activity," Vitti said about the potential strike in a statement. "We also know that our teachers have always served our families and their children. We have worked through several challenges with DFT and teachers in the past and we will do so through the reopening process."
