Flint Parents Protest Conditions At Southwestern and Other Flint Schools

Parents of Flint students gathered outside of Flint Southwestern Monday to protest the conditions inside SWA and other schools in the district.

The main problem stems from a lack of teachers according to students and parents.

According to ABC12, the protesters claim that they know of at least 13 classes that have not had a regular teacher for three months.  This means students are left to find something to do to fill that unsupervised hour.

The protesters demand that something needs to be done at a local level, and they would like an audit to see where the money from the Michigan Lottery is going in regards to Flint schools.

Flint School officials were proactive with the protesters, engaging them in conversations and asking what types of things they would like to see done. Officials are quick to acknowledge that there is a severe substitute teacher shortage that is causing a problem. When there is no teacher, they are supposed to have administrative personnel help to supervise students. While that may help to curb students wandering the halls during class, it does not help the students actually learn while in the classroom.

To the Flint School's credit, they are always looking for teachers and substitutes to fill open classrooms. If you would like to become an substitute teacher, you can call (810)-760-1218 to see if you are qualified.

The protesters are planning on staying in front of the schools until the next Flint School Board meeting.