Teacher sick-out closes two Detroit high schools

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Classes cancelled at two more Detroit high schools today because teachers refused to show up.

They are staging sick-outs all over the district to get the state's attention.

Carol Summers is a Detroit mother who lives on the city's east side, and she is furious.

"I am a product of Detroit Public Schools, I do not like what has happened, all the things that happened," she said.. "But I am against the sickness or the sick out, whatever you want to call it, which does taint the education of our children."

More teacher sickouts resulting in more kids not in the classroom.

"It takes away a structure of seven to four days," she said. "What it does for me because of what I see in my community, somebody is going to get into trouble today, because they're not in school. If the parents are not at home, where do you think the children are going to be?

"Not at home, it's a bad influence."

Three teacher sickouts in one week. King and Renaissance on Thursday and Cass Tech on Tuesday. A large number of teachers are standing against overcrowded classroom sizes, cuts in health care and no pay raises.

Inside King High School on Thursday, the emergency manager spoke out against what happened, right now there's a question if these teacher sickouts are even legal.

"All I want to say right now on the legality of it, is that we're reviewing it and we will make that determination at a later date," said Darnell Earley, the DPS EM.

On top of this back and forth, DPS is dealing with a massive deficit of billions of dollars that could affect the district's future.

"The governor is the heart pin of all of this,  he's trying to destroy the schools," said protest organizer Steve Conn.

"The issues that plague the functionality of Detroit Public Schools have been decades in the making," Earley said.

At the end of the day, regardless who may have the stronger argument, the students in Detroit continue to suffer.

"We were getting ready for finals," said one student who stayed home due to the sick-out. "For me I got projects to do, things on the computer I can't do at home, so it kind of sets my schedule off."

Teacher organizers say there could potentially be more sick outs on Friday, and right a rally is planned for Sunday to vote on a possible strike.