Kathleen Gray

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

LANSING — Frustrated by teacher sick-outs that have caused the closure of dozens of Detroit Public School buildings since the beginning of the year, the Senate Education Committee voted Tuesday to make it easier to determine that a sick-out is an illegal strike and to punish the teachers and school districts that participate.

Teachers have been using rolling sick-outs in recent weeks to highlight the poor conditions of dilapidated schools, including large class sizes, inconsistent heating and cooling systems, as well as mold and rodent-infested buildings.

“These bills are designed to fix a gap in the strike law,” said Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair, who is chairman of the committee and sponsor of one of the three bills in the package. “Strikes are illegal in Michigan and to tie the buildings to this isn’t right. We’re talking about strengthening the strike legislation and to make sure kids get the public education that they deserve.”

But teachers and parents testified at the hearing that the Legislature is only concerned with attacking and punishing teachers instead of fixing the very real problems in DPS buildings.

“This expands the impact and severity of strike laws,” said David Hecker, president of the American Federation of Teachers in Michigan. “They’re unconstitutional and violation of freedom of speech and career ending for teachers.”

The bills would:

Require that the state superintendent of schools determine within two days of an incident, such as a sick-out, if the event is in fact a strike. Then there would be 120 days for punitive action to be taken against teachers and the districts.

Require that a teacher’s teaching certificate be suspended for at least two years or revoked if it’s determined that they participated in an illegal strike.

Deduct 5% in school aid payments to a district that doesn’t deduct the pay of a teacher who has participated in a strike.

“We have an organization that knows what the law says, but we’re ignoring that,” said Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton. “Why would an organization that is saying their top interest is the kids reach out in a way that is denying access to education to kids?"

But Cheryl Matas of Metamora, a retired teacher in the Oxford Public Schools, said the teachers had no choice but to stand up for the kids that they were trying to teach in horrible conditions.

“The Detroit Public Schools teachers have been telling us for years about the deplorable conditions in the schools and nobody has been listening,” she said. “I’m tired of couching things in nice language. I’m angry that no one seems to care about poor black kids in deplorable schools. And instead, we’re attacking teachers who are on the front lines.”

Riley: DPS crisis is Snyder's problem, too

Trying to make sure the sick-outs don't continue, DPS is suing 28 defendants, including two dozen teachers, various grassroots groups, the Detroit Federation of Teachers, ousted DFT president Steve Conn, and the union's interim president, Ivy Bailey.

The district filed the lawsuit the same day that 88 DPS schools were closed because so many teachers took the day off.

Bailey said the union had nothing to do with organizing the sick-outs, but she supports the teachers for speaking out.

“This is like the current situation in Flint, where the citizens’ concerns have been ignored,” she said. “We understand our members’ frustration and anger. And you seem more eager to use this to come after men and women who teach our children.”

The three-bill package - SB 713-715 - passed the Senate Education Committee after less than one hour of testimony, on 4-1 party-line votes by the GOP majority. Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, was the lone no vote. The bills now move to the full Senate for consideration.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 517-372-8661 or kgray99@freepress.com

Detroit school 'sickouts' measure system's dysfunction