Geneva Area City Schools teachers to strike over district’s online learning curriculum

GENEVA, Ohio (WOIO) - Geneva Area City School teachers will be on strike starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

The Geneva Area Teachers Association put out a statement stating they will be on strike because they don’t want to continue teaching in-person and online classes at the same time.

“I support them 100%, I support them but I hope it’s short-lived,” said Brittany Breedlove.

Breedlove has four kids in Geneva Area City Schools.

She said while a strike isn’t ideal, she gets why the teachers want kids back in the classrooms full time.

“If they’re going to give both options, I believe they should have separate teachers for the online versus the in-school because it’s hurting both of them,” said Breedlove. “They don’t have the full attention of their teacher whether it’s in school or online.”

Susan Elliot who’s son is at Geneva Middle School says she supports the teachers because her son also had a difficult time with online learning.

“Very concerned for our students, we’re just coming off of COVID... my son was struggling, almost failed,” said Elliot.

The Geneva Area City School superintendent did send us a statement regarding the strike, it reads in part:

“Unfortunately, last night I was informed that, despite the Union leadership agreeing to the Tentative Agreement, the general membership voted down the agreement. Union leadership further indicated that the membership has determined to strike on Wednesday, November 3. The Board truly hopes the Union reconsiders its choice to strike tomorrow. However, should the Union move forward with its work stoppage, the District has taken the necessary steps to ensure that student instruction will continue in a safe and productive manner.”

Meanwhile, Breedlove says the most important thing is that her kids get a good education even if that means a teacher strike.

“Parents like I who have had children in school for multiple years know what great teachers they are and we know they wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t deemed necessary.”

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