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Teachers, students and parents urge board to keep schools virtual and call for personnel remedies
Summary
During public comment at the Jan. 12 DPSCD meeting, teachers, students and parents urged the board to keep schools virtual for the rest of the year, demanded reinstatement or rescission of disciplinary actions against staff, and pressed for stronger mental health and online-learning supports.
Scores of public commenters used the Jan. 12 Detroit Public Schools Community District meeting to urge the board to keep schools virtual through the remainder of the school year, press for stronger online-learning supports and ask the board to address recent personnel actions.
Multiple speakers — teachers, labor leaders, students and parents — told the board that reopening schools now would endanger staff and students and that the district should "stay virtual until the end of this year." Teacher-organizers and union members also asked the board to reinstate LC Bolger and rescind disciplinary action against Nicole Stuckey, saying educators who advocated for safer conditions were being punished. "Reinstate Mr. Bolger, rescind Ms. Stuckey's suspension and make them whole," one commenter demanded.
Students and youth organizers asked the board to cancel standardized tests for the year and to adopt consistent policies on grading and flexibility for virtual learning. A student speaker said the district should center student voices and not rush reopening plans that "force students to come back when vaccines and testing access remain limited."
Other callers raised operational concerns: requests for additional mental-health supports for students, improved communications with families, help resetting student email accounts so parents can access surveys and materials, and targeted outreach to families without reliable internet. One parent of a child with special needs said in-person instruction may be necessary for some families but urged the district to prioritize safety and data in any reopening.
Board members acknowledged the volume of public comment and recorded the concerns for follow-up. The board agreed the superintendent and staff should provide survey and outreach information to increase participation and address technical access barriers. The claims raised about personnel discipline coincided with closed-session settlements later in the meeting; the board approved two settlement recommendations in closed session and subsequently approved administrative terminations described as job abandonment by motion after returning to open session.
The public comment period underscored a divide between community members urging continued remote instruction and district leaders proposing phased, data-driven reopenings tied to infection rates and staff survey results.
