Reading, Pa. Teachers Press for School Safety Measures

Teachers in Reading, Pennsylvania are trying to get the state to push for action on safety issues, accusing the school board of refusing to negotiate.

Among other things, an unfair labor practice charge by the Reading Education Association claims high school doors are sometimes chained shut and the public address system cannot be heard in parts of the building.

The state’s labor relations board will schedule a hearing on the allegation that the board will not negotiate, Christopher S. Manlove, a spokesman for the state Department of Labor and Industry, said Wednesday.

School Board President Keith R. Stamm said the board had acted on safety issues, adding security guards and security cameras and scheduling committee meetings on safety. School officials have said that doors are not chained shut when the building is occupied, and that administrators are not aware of P.A. system gaps.

Rob Broderick, a spokesman for the State Education Association, said school officials say they were willing to talk, “but that’s all it means: talk. If they’re required to negotiate … there can be action.”

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Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/