TEWKSBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - More than 100 students walked out of Tewksbury High School on Friday morning in a show of support for teachers and staff who have been trying to negotiate a new contract since last February.
Video from SKY7 HD showed students pouring out of the building shortly before 10 a.m. Many students were seen holding sings that read, “What about us?”
“This is affecting every aspect of student lives each day, especially for us upperclassmen,” senior Stephen O’Hearn said. “We can’t get letter of recommendation anymore because it’s not in a teacher’s contract, we can’t have an advisor for our senior projects anymore.”
Students staged the walk out a day after a fiery school committee meeting, where police escorted teachers out of the meeting, including Tewksbury Teachers’ Association President Conor Bergoin.
“This is our livelihood. We need to be treated with respect,” Bergoin said. “Look at all the extra we do. Some people are usually here hours after for these kids. We do care about these kids and a lot of them care about us.”
Teachers have been asking for a range of things in their new contracts, including a slight raise for coaches and advisors, as well as larger salary increases for teachers who have been at the school for more than eight years.
Bergoin says contract conversations with the school committee have stalled but added that he’s proud of the students who walked out of class.
About 300 other students protested in the cafeteria because they were afraid of possible repercussions for leaving the building, according to Bergoin.
“It was honestly really touching…It was really powerful,” Bergoin said of the show of support.
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