UPDATE: The Gloucester teacher strike ended on Friday. Strikes continue in Beverly and Marblehead.
Two weeks into an ongoing teachers strike across three North Shore districts, harried parents find themselves scrambling to navigate childcare, their own work and keeping their school-age kids occupied as school cancellations mount.
As children bounced off the walls of the Kids Ultimate Playground in Peabody’s Northshore Mall Thursday, Diana Aniello sat in the food court to eat lunch with a small crowd: her two sons and three middle schoolers from other families who are part of a childcare-swapping arrangement with other Marblehead families.
“I work part time, so I’m one of those that’s lucky enough to be able to carve this time out and make it a fun two weeks for them,” Aniello said. “I have friends whose kids are home on iPads all day for child care.”
Aniello, a former early childhood educator and school counselor, has been keeping her charges busy with nature hikes, museum visits and as many outdoor activities as possible.
One of her sons, a fourth grader at Village Elementary in Marblehead, breathlessly explained that today’s plan includes a trip to SkyZone. A 12-year-old friend who is “literally always at their house,” interjects to declare that he has used the time to master the skill of eating an entire Big Mac in under one minute.
Aniello asked that her kids remain anonymous to protect their privacy.
“We get to do a lot more stuff that we can’t do when we’re in school,” the fourth grader said. “But I kind of miss my friends and stuff, and kind of my teacher.”
Teachers in Marblehead, Beverly and Gloucester are continuing to strike for higher wages, better pay for teachers; aides, increased paid parental leave and improved conditions for students, particularly those in special education programs.
“They’re fighting for what they believe in,” Aniello’s 9-year-old son said. “They don’t get paid enough and then people leave.”
Aniello’s 12-year-old son, a seventh grader at Veterans Middle School, says the break has brought back memories of COVID-19 lockdowns.
“We’re kind of used to it, because it’s the second time to like not go to school for awhile,” he said. “It’s good because it’s like summer, but then we have to make up those school days.”
Beverly and Gloucester began striking on Nov. 8, and Marblehead followed on Nov. 12. The Beverly School Committee is weighing plans to make up some of the days during February or April vacation, while Gloucester plans to extend the school year, delaying students’ summer break.
“The pandemic is still fresh in our minds, and it definitely stirs a lot of those same feelings,” Aniello said. “Now that it’s dragged out to two weeks, it’s definitely stirring a lot of emotions for parents.”
District officials have sent emails to parents each evening to announce class cancellations., Aniello said that’s the time to make a plan to keep kids busy for the next day.
“Every time you get that 6 p.m. email, you’re like 'OK, I’m not surprised,' but it’s a punch in the gut,” Aniello said. “We’re just taking it day by day.”
Across the food court, Hannah Horgan instructed another gaggle of children to hold their hands up to a hand sanitizer station. Horgan brought two of her own kids and three of her nieces and nephews — all Gloucester students — to the mall’s playground.
“My sister works, so I’m just trying to help her out,” Horgan said.
Her 9-year-old niece said she’s faring just fine. “I don’t really want it to be over, because I have a sleepover tomorrow.”
Michaela Wood visited the photo booth with her 6-year-old nephew Alex, a first grade student at North Beverly Elementary School in another part of the mall. She said they’ve been trying to take a lot of walks and spend as much time outdoors as possible. Then the rain brought them to the mall for a round of mini golf and some shopping with Alex’s grandma.
“Coming up with things to do can be hard because everything is expensive these days,” Wood said. “So going out and doing things in these past two weeks, we’ve expected to spend a little money every day, which is fine, but it adds up at the end.”
Strikes by municipal employees are illegal in Massachusetts, and teachers unions across the three districts now face hundreds of thousands of dollars in court fines, which increase $10,000 per day.
Thursday night, an Essex County Superior Court Judge gave the three districts and the unions until Monday to reach a deal without further financial penalties.
“We have before us all we need to reach an agreement well before that deadline,” Beverly School Committee president Rachel Abell said in a statement Thursday evening. “We hope the BTA sees this order similarly and begins to offer counter-proposals which can result in an agreement before Monday.”
School committees in the three districts and the Massachusetts Labor Relations Board have asked the court to increase fines against the unions.
The North Shore Labor Council of the The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations demanded that the Beverly School Committee and local leaders “ignore that ruling and come to the table to bargain in good faith,” describing the board’s decision as “unjust and punitive.”
Interfaith religious leaders held a vigil Wednesday evening in Marblehead to acknowledge the sacrifices made by students and parents and to encourage both sides of negotiations to find common ground, calling on the school committee to listen and support teachers.
Aniello said she attended the vigil with her three sons, including her oldest, a freshman at Marblehead High School, because she viewed it as a learning opportunity.
“I’m trying to educate them without making it weigh heavily on them,” Aniello said of the strike. “Just like with COVID, or with anything, we always try to look for teachable moments and look for the positives in any situation.”
