EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — The school board in East St. Louis has given athletic teams permission to practice amid teachers’ strike that has canceled classes for ten days.
About 400 teachers went on strike Oct. 1 and more than 6,000 students are out of school. Negotiations between the teachers and district were scheduled to continue Wednesday afternoon.
The East St. Louis Flyers football team has forfeited two games so far this season. That’s because Illinois High School Association policy won’t let students participate during a strike unless the school board allows it. East St. Louis District 189 Board of Education members voted on Tuesday to let students practice.
Most coaches aren’t union members. Union Local 1220 President Sharon Crockett said she’s happy students can practice but “we want to come back to work too.”
