COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just one day before the start of the school year, teachers in the Columbus City Schools district continued to picket after voting to go on strike.
They held signs while holding on to their morals and to the hope that this strike will be worth it.
At Whetstone High School, Tuesday, students like Melina Spiropoulus, are planning a strike of their own.
“It’s just as much our fight as it is the teachers,” Spiropoulus said. “Throughout our entire lives they’ve always supported us and done what’s best for us and it’s only fair that we give back and do the same for them and fight for them when they need it most.”
She says she agrees with the CEA’s asks, specifically for better conditions in buildings. Spiropoulus says she’s seen holes, leaks, rats and bug infestations. She also is backing the demand for classrooms with fewer students.
Spiropoulus is organizing her own student protest, Wednesday morning, on what is supposed to be the first day of remote learning. She says for as long as she can she won’t be joining in even though legally it’s required.
“Morally, I think it’s a perfect excuse and it makes absolute sense for me not to go when I’m not gonna even be with my teachers,” she said.
She says her protesting is in support of her teachers and counselors. Without them, she says the breath of confidence has been sucked out of the lungs of seniors who many, like her, are lost on how to navigate what is, arguably, the most important year of their lives.
“Without our counselors and our teachers for our support, we’re kind of lost and we don’t know what to do and it’s just really disappointing and it’s really sad for us.”