Public School Educators, Students & Supporters Walk-In Nationwide For Public Education

On October 6, more than 100,000 students, educators, parents and others in 2,000 schools in more than 200 communities participated in a national day of action for public education according to the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. A variety of actions took place most of them being walk-ins where public school educators and supporters gather for a picket and rally before entering their schools for work.

Major demands included increased funding for public schools, expansion of community schools with added services, an end to the racist school-to-prison pipeline and to protest the expansion of charter schools at the expense of public schools.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in a state that over the past five years has faced perhaps the most austerity cuts to K-12 and higher education in the state’s history, parents, educators, children and community members participated in walk ins sponsored by the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association at well over 100 public schools.

The city of Milwaukee, the city used as a laboratory in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s to implement charter and voucher schools, is now a majority Black and Brown city. Milwaukee, similar to cities such as Chicago and Detroit, is facing increasing racist attacks from right wing governor’s such as Scott Walker and legislatures controlled by Wall Street and right-wing foundations. But public educator resistance to attacks on self-determination in majority cities of color are growing with a Detroit citywide sick-out by teachers last school year, Chicago educators gearing up for another strike and in Milwaukee with mass walk-ins and numerous other forms of resistance including a majority Black youth rebellion in August.