Teacher Sick-Out Closes Most Detroit Schools

DETROIT, MI – Several Detroit schools will be closed Wednesday as part of a planned teacher sick-out to protest Gov. Rick Snyder’s public education plans for the struggling Detroit School District.

DPS spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said in a statement that the district has “no option but to close schools when teachers do not report to work,” WDIV-TV reports.

Schools that will be closed Wednesday include Burton International, Clemente, Drew, Emerson and Munger, but the list could grow. An up-to-date school closings list is found on the WDIV website.

Teachers are expected to march at a noon rally outside Cobo Hall, then take a strike vote for an ongoing sick-out.

The school district is about $500 million in debt and has been under state control since 2009. The teachers want a ”fully empowered elected school board and full state financial reimbursement,” former Detroit Teachers Federation President Steve Conn said in a statement.