The Strongsville Education Association is blasting the Board of Education for requiring students to go to school if teachers strike on Monday. The teachers' union, in a statement, said the board has "reached a new low" and that parents are being forced to "send their kids into an unknown and unsafe learning environment."

Chris Canning, SEA spokeswoman, said the board has chosen to pay for "security goons and babysitters" instead of paying its teachers. "The only curriculum that the students are going to be exposed to is a healthy dose of dodge ball, extended recess, and being corralled into unsafe, and under supervised, gymnasiums and multi-purpose rooms," Canning said in the statement.

The district, in a Q & A page on its website, addresses the truancy issue, saying that closing schools would mean extending the school year to make up the lost days. "If schools are closed, the days will have to be made up by students at some point to meet state requirements for completing a school year. If the days are not made up, the state will withhold funds needed to operate Strongsville City Schools. More importantly, students will not get credit for the school year, and the entire year may need to be repeated. If the school is closed for an extended period of time while the parties try to reach a settlement, it is possible that the school year will extend into the summer. An extended school year negatively impacts students being accepted into colleges and may also affect appointments to military academies and enlistment in the armed forces as well as family work schedules and activities," the district says.

The district also says core subjects will be taught by the subs.

"We will be able to start teaching on March 4 with a qualified teaching team, that will ensure that English, mathematics, social studies and science are handled effectively from the start."

Strongsville police have also said they will send an officer to each school on Monday to help ensure safety and a peaceful environment. The SEA's statement in full: