Grievances Over Strongsville Teachers Being Handled 'Case By Case'

Strongsville teachers returned to their classrooms Tuesday morning after an eight-week strike and, for the most part, students did, too.

Assistant Superintendent Cameron Ryba said that as of mid-day Tuesday, he had heard of fewer than five cases where parents insisted their children be removed from a teacher's class.

He acknowledged, though, that there have been other incidents he is not involved in. 

"I'm sure there are others the (building) principals are handling," Ryba said. "This is going to be an evolving process."

With tempers running high on both sides of the issue, a number of parents cited the behavior of certain teachers during the strike and said they do not want them teaching their children.

Ryba said principals are working with upset parents to try to ease the situations.

"With less than 30 days left in the school year, our goal is to transition the students back in and place them in the same classrooms they were in before the strike," he said. 

Objections will be handled "on a case by case basis," he said.

If parents have other concerns about specific teachers, they can send a letter or e-mail to the principal or the teacher, like always. Ryba said there is no specific grievance procedure in place for after-strike complaints.

"If they have concerns about a teacher, they can be shared," he said.

He encouraged parents to speak with building principals first to get issues resolved.

"I think a lot of the concerns and anxieties that are out there will be addressed over the next four days," Ryba said. "Then next week, we'll move on."