Oct 13, 2007 6:46 am US/Eastern
Seneca Valley Braces For Potential Strike
CRANBERRY TWP (KDKA) ―
The teachers union in the Seneca Valley School District and the school board still have no agreement on a new contract which leaves thousands of parents and students preparing for a possible strike.
Classes have been cancelled for Monday, the day teachers plan to walkout. The school district says classes will not be in session that day, even if the two sides agree to a new contract over the weekend.
The possibility of a strike has both students and parents upset. About 200 freshmen and sophomores walked to the football field but quickly returned to class after the superintendent spoke to them. Students in the district say they don't want to go to class until late June.
"They just generally take opposition to being out of school. They don't want to be out of school – they certainly don't want to miss their vacation time whether it be the holiday vacation time or the summer vacation," Linda Andreassi, a spokesperson for the district, said.
Meantime, parents are scrambling to find babysitters for their children – and hoping for a quick settlement.
"I'm sorry that it ever had to get this far in the first place," Janice Baker, a parent, said. "I wish they could just come to some resolution so the kids don't have to be penalized."
Under Pennsylvania law, the students must have 180 days of instruction by June 30. If the teachers do strike, the football program will continue.
The teachers have been working for two years without a contract. There are nearly 8,000 students in the district.
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