Stratford Teachers Union Rally Draws Over 100 Cars

STRATFORD, CT — More than 120 cars participated in a rally Thursday in Stratford that was organized by the local teacher’s union. The event was part of a statewide undertaking to demand safety precautions and sufficient funding as schools prepare to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Stratford rally began at Bunnell High School, with the vehicles driving through town in one of 25 "School Safety First" rallies across Connecticut, including in neighboring Bridgeport and outside Gov. Ned Lamont’s residence in Hartford. The statewide effort was organized by the Connecticut Education Association and AFT Connecticut, both unions for educators in the state.

Photos of the Stratford rally posted on Facebook show vehicles painted with messages and decorated with signs that say: “Safe Start OR NO START,” “You can’t put kids first if you put teachers last,” “I can’t teach from a hospital bed,” and more.

“Hopefully this will send a message to state officials that the term ‘when feasible’ should never be used in regards to school safety,” event organizer David Terwilliger said in a Facebook post.

Terwilliger, a member of the Stratford Education Association Executive Board, thanked Stratford police and Superintendent Janet Robinson for assisting to facilitate the event, as well as, “all the community members who supported us by honking and waving as we moved through town.”

Also Thursday, Lamont confirmed school districts will be able to choose between a full in-person experience or a hybrid plan without seeking state approval. The state will provide detailed metric guidelines next week for school districts to help decide between the options.

Connecticut is continuing to develop guidance for teachers who don't want to return to the classroom due to conditions that could put them at an increased risk of severe coronavirus complications. It may be that teachers instruct students remotely and an apprentice teacher is in the classroom, Lamont said. Any parent who is uncomfortable with sending their children back to the classroom can opt for full remote learning.

Decisions about how to go back to school come at a time when Connecticut and many other parts of the United States are seeing a growing number of infections among young people. The number of coronavirus cases among people between the ages of 10 and 19 years in Connecticut doubled in the past week, Lamont said. There is also a growing number of infections for people between 20 and 29 years.