Families in Newton, Massachusetts, went to court Monday calling for an end to the ongoing teachers’ strike at their children’s school.
Lital Asher-Dotan, a mother of three, filed an Emergency Motion to Intervene with the Middlesex Superior Court to compel the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) to end its ongoing strike due to "detrimental effects of this strike on [the students’] education, extracurricular activities, and overall well-being."
"The lack of structured learning and continuity severely hamper their progress, as regular practice is vital for retaining and understanding new concepts," the motion stated.
It added, "The academic and developmental losses the proposed student intervenors are facing extend far beyond the classroom. Moreover, it is the interruption which is a crucial unrecoverable loss. Merely tacking some school days at the end of the school year does not address that."
About 20 other families submitted letters of support for the motion.
The strike began on Jan. 19, leading Newton Public Schools to cancel classes for the last week. While the NTA met with the Newton School Committee on Sunday to negotiate an end to the strike, the meeting ended with no agreement, continuing the strike to its 11th day.
Schools were closed once again on Monday with no indication as to when they would reopen.
It is illegal for teachers to strike in the state of Massachusetts. The NTA has previously faced court-imposed fines totaling $425,000 along with additional fees of $50,000 per day.
The motion noted, "(1)defendant Newton teachers Association (NTA) has thus far continued to act in contempt of this Court’s repeated orders to terminate the strike, and (2) defendant NTA President Michael J. Zilles has publicly stated that the NTA has financial backing from other union organizations to resist the fines being imposed by the Court, the Court should impose such sanctions to such degree as to overcome whatever financial resources the NTA is receiving to resist the Orders thus far."
In a comment to Fox News Digital, an NTA spokesperson responded to the motion saying, "The NTA has spent every moment of this strike trying to reopen schools. But we can no longer accept working conditions that put students at risk or are not meeting their needs. We cannot return to our jobs until a fair contract is settled."
"Our goal all along is to get students back into the classrooms where learning thrives. Without aides and behavior therapists, many students cannot learn to the fullest. But at current wages offered by Newton, qualified individuals cannot afford to take those jobs. Similarly, without easy access to a social worker, a student's mental health crisis can escalate. That is unacceptable."
MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS UNION HEAD CRITICIZES PUBLIC EDUCATION'S FOCUS ON INCOME, COLLEGE AND CAREER
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"The educators who cannot take the necessary time off to care for themselves struggle to bring their best into the classroom. We share the concern and anger of parents. But that anger needs to be directed toward Mayor Fuller and the School Committee who are not fully funding our schools. The strike will end when we are able to secure a fair contract that allows educators to deliver the education our students need and deserve while also valuing, compensating, and respecting the work of our educators," the statement concluded.
