Can Special Ed. Teachers Be Forced to Stay in the Classroom During Strikes?
January 4, 2019
By: Madeline Will
Source: Education Week
Los Angeles teachers are planning to go on strike on Jan. 10—but the school district this week asked a federal judge to prevent special education teachers from leaving the classroom.
However, on Friday evening, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald S.W. Lew denied the Los Angeles Unified school district’s attempt.
To use an analogy from the ongoing partial government shutdown, the district had wanted special education teachers and other employees who provide services to students with special needs to be considered “essential personnel,” and blocked from going on strike. Teachers are planning to strike over a contract dispute; they’ve asked for pay raises, class-size reductions, fewer required tests, and more school nurses, counselors, social workers, and librarians. The district has offered a smaller pay bump and class-size reductions in some schools.