So Much For All That Union Talk That The Kids Come First -- Not About the Bakken

Link here: Michigan schools closed because overwhelming number of teachers called in sick or took vacation days. It will be a "snow day" for the students. It's a "snow day" alright.

Warren Consolidated Schools is the second school district to announce closing in anticipation of a large protest in Lansing against proposed right-to-work legislation. Taylor School District Superintendent Diane Allen told WDIV that the district would be closed because so many teachers were taking sick or vacation days to attend rallies in Lansing.

Detroit Federation of Teachers president Keith Johnson anticipates "a huge crowd" in Lansing for the protest. When asked by the Free Press if any Detroit Public Schools would be closed, he said, "Hopefully."

Wow.  The ends justify the means, I guess. I assume the ends will be the same regardless of the means.

At least one dissenter:

"I do understand that they have a political position," Lazarus added. "[But] the first priority of a teacher should be student learning and I don't think this adds to that."

Amen.

On the other hand, missing a day of school probably won't make much of a difference to outcomes on standardized testing: only seven (7) percent of Detroit's eighth-grade students are able to read. "Proficient" is the politically correct word that is used. And folks wonder why the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" continues to widen.