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Teachers, students and parents press Detroit board to keep schools virtual; some call for reinstatement of disciplined staff
Summary
During public comment at the Jan. 12 meeting, teachers, students and parents urged the board to keep schools virtual through the year, demanded testing and wider vaccine access before reopening, and asked the board to reinstate and make whole staff members disciplined for safety advocacy.
Multiple teachers, parents, union representatives and students used the public-comment period at the Jan. 12 Detroit Public Schools Community District board meeting to press a common ask: keep schools virtual until COVID-19 is under control and testing and vaccination access is widely available.
Concerns about reopening and staff discipline: Benjamin Royal, a teacher and organizer with EON BAM, urged the board to stop reopening conversations and keep the district virtual, arguing there is “no data that supports reopening” and saying “the only safe positivity rate to reopen is 0.” Nicole Conaway, a teacher and organizer, and other speakers demanded that the district reinstate LC Bolger and rescind the suspension of Nicole Stuckey, saying both staff members were disciplined after advocating for safety improvements. Conaway said the district should “make them both whole for all wages lost” and remove disciplinary actions from their records.
Student and family voices: Student speakers and groups such as Detroit Area Youth United Michigan asked the board to commit to remaining virtual through the rest of the school year to avoid further instability and to protect student mental health. Parents with medically fragile children also urged caution and said campus reopening could put their families at risk.
Support and nuance from other community members: Some speakers thanked the board for steps taken — increased teacher pay, device distribution and expanded tutoring — and asked for more resources such as mental-health services, clearer communication on student email accounts and localized outreach (home visits) for students not logging in.
Board response and context: Board members and the superintendent acknowledged the breadth of public concern. The superintendent said the district would use surveys and home visits to measure demand and needs, and that pilot vaccine access for staff would depend on an MOU with the city and on vaccine supply. The board did not take formal action on programmatic changes during public comment but directed staff to report back on survey outcomes and membership-cost follow-up where relevant.
What to watch: The reinstatement or reversal of personnel discipline would be a separate personnel action requiring legal and human-resources steps; the board made no immediate personnel reversals in the meeting. The district will publish survey results and home-visit data that the board said would inform future reopening decisions.
