Support Rhode Island teachers who were unjustly fired

Last month, the Central Falls Board of Trustees in Rhode Island fired the entire teaching faculty – a total of 88 people – at Central Falls High School. Read the real story behind these unjust firings.

These teachers know there is work to do to improve their school, and they have dedicated themselves to helping their students achieve. But they face a terrible situation created by a superintendent who has chosen to scapegoat teachers rather than follow a collaborative path to proven reforms that truly benefit students.

The AFT is working closely with the Central Falls Teachers Union and the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals to get the Central Falls administration to return to negotiations and find a resolution to this crisis. The NEA has also pledged its support to the Central Falls teachers.

The AFT has created an online petition to show support for the Central Falls teachers. Please sign the petition to show that you stand with the Central Falls High School community, students and teachers.

The situation in Rhode Island points out many of the difficulties of the U.S. Department of Education’s “turnaround schools” model. Education Minnesota will continue to work with the AFT and the NEA to tell the department that situations like that in Rhode Island are unacceptable and that the “turnaround schools” model must be re-thought, especially if it is going to be used in this way.

March 12, 2010