LANSING – The Michigan AFL-CIO issued the following statement today commenting on the resignation of Darnell Earley, and legislation passed by the Senate Education Committee that punishes Detroit teachers for speaking up on behalf of their students.
“Darnell Earley was a complete disaster as the Emergency Manager of Detroit Public Schools and the City of Flint,” said Ron Bieber, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO. “But let’s be clear, Rick Snyder is the one who’s ultimately responsible for Earley’s failures in Flint and Detroit.
“It’s time for the governor to step up and work with both parties in Lansing to deliver immediate relief to schools in Detroit, where our students are being forced to learn in deplorable classrooms with crumbling ceilings, mold, dead rats, and insufficient heating. No child should ever have to learn in schools with such dire conditions.
“That’s why today’s vote in the Michigan Senate to punish Detroit teachers is such an outrage. These men and women are on the front lines every day fighting to protect their students. Fannie Lou Hamer said it best, teachers are ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired.’ The last thing we should be doing is punishing teachers for speaking up and shining a light on the classrooms their students are forced to learn in.
“Governor Snyder needs to stop treating Flint and DPS like public relations problems, and start doing what’s right for the people of Michigan.”
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