Ohio parents react to Columbus teacher strike: 'This is just not good enough for us'

Columbus City School classrooms remain closed as city teachers continue to picket into what was supposed to be the start to the school year.

Columbus Education Association members are expected to picket until an agreement is reached regarding "safe, properly maintained and full resourced schools in every neighborhood," Columbus Education Association spokesperson Regina Fuentes told WBNS. 

Fox News Digital spoke to parents whose children attend CCS and have been negatively affected by the standoff. Many came down on the side of the teachers, calling the district's schools "not good enough."

"For me, it’s not about paying the teachers more. I don’t want them in a school that has mold, lead and asbestos," said Kristen Brush, a parent of two children in second grade at CCS. "I went to CCS my entire life, and the school building upkeep is just not there. 

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"I know the board claims they are working on those things, but it has been a year. I won't be signing them in tomorrow. This is just not good enough for us."

"My main concern is the mental health aspect for my kids," Anne Blankestyn, a mother of two students in Columbus schools said. "We’ve been preparing all summer for the changes for my one kid entering middle school. The kids were excited to go back and have a normal year. I am trying to find ways to keep that excitement and momentum for when they do start. They’re disappointed.

"The plan is for students to begin remote tomorrow. But there are no teachers. There may be a sub hired to cover kids, but they would be using a standardized program. I am refusing to participate in that to show support to the teachers and the mental health of the kids. We already did the COVID experiment. We got through it. We are not going back there." 

More than 94% of Columbus Education Association members rejected the latest contract proposal following five months of negotiations. 

The union, which represents more than 4,000 school teachers, librarians, nurses and other employees, went on strike two days before the start of the school year.

Columbus City School students are slated to start the fall term Wednesday online with the possibility of returning in person out of the question as the strike continues. 

"In multiple efforts to negotiate through the media after walking away from the bargaining table, the school board has tried desperately to make this strike about teacher salary, teacher professional development and teacher leaves," CEA spokesperson Fuentes said in a released statement.

"Let me be clear: This strike is about our students who deserve a commitment to modern schools with heating and air conditioning, smaller class sizes and a well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music and PE." 

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Deanna Purcell, a mother of 12th-, seventh-, third- and first-graders at CCS, told Fox News Digital, "My 6-year-old also sees a speech therapist and has a different curriculum, as well. They won’t be receiving any services while online because there are no special education instructors. When I reached out with my concerns to the district, they pretty much said to take them elsewhere to get the services they need.

"This takes away the excitement of going back to school. My kids are not logging in tomorrow," Purcell added. "We stand by the teachers. There’s been nothing released that this is going to come to an end soon. I plan to homeschool them for now."

The most recent offer included an annual 3% salary increase for three years and 30 days of paid family leave, according to Cleveland.com. This is the first time the union has gone on strike since 1975, according to the Columbus Dispatch. 

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The Ohio Board of Education met Monday evening for an emergency meeting "to have a confidential discussion," according to a statement released by Jennifer Adair, Columbus Board of Education president.

"We will not be logging into online school. It is a joke to have our kids log in with no real instruction. We fully support the board making every single effort they can to make the schools as safe as possible as quickly as possible," said Ashley Koch, another CCS parent. "I feel that they are gaslighting families. Even people who are afraid of truancy issues are only having kids log in for attendance purposes only," 

Koch told Fox News Digital she is "hoping that if the board sees that parents are truly standing behind the teachers and are willing to keep the kids out of school than they will work harder and faster to resolve this issue."

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Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther released a statement urging teachers to return to their schools and emphasizing the importance of having children in the classroom. 

"The CEA and the school district must return to the table and get our kids back in the classroom. A responsible solution is within reach but only if negotiations restart now," the statement said. 

Fox News' Haley Chi-sing contributed to this report.