SPECIAL UPDATE October 31, 2013 LEGISLATURE 309 LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BLDG. 300 N. SALISBURY STREET R ALEIGH, NC 27603 (919)733-5850 [email protected] 15 TH SENATE DISTRICT 2600 FAIRVIEW R OAD R ALEIGH, NC 27608 (919)781-3464 [email protected] Berger, Hunt Statement on Planned Teacher Strike Asks what the Attorney General plans to do to protect student safet y Raleigh, N.C. – At least one North Carolina elementary school is soliciting volunteers over the internet to watch students while teachers walk out of their classrooms to participate in a politically- motivated one-hour strike next week. And the N orth Caro lina affil iate o f the national teachers’ union has stated on record they “affirm the desire, and right, of educators to use tactics like a walk- out or strike” – a clear violation of North Carolina law. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and Sen. Neal Hunt (R-Wake) issued the following joint statement Wednesday after being contacted by concerned parents: “Schools have a duty to educate and protect our children, not serve as marc hing grounds for political protests orchestrated by unions. We are deeply disturbed the NCAE is encouraging teachers to turn their backs on their classrooms and leave their students in the care of strangers who may lack formal training and background check s. Things have reached a new low when a teachers’ union is willing to abandon its core responsibility and jeopardize student safety for its own gain. “As attorney general and our state’s chief law enforcement officer, Roy Cooper has an obligation to protect our children’s safety, and we look forward to his swift response.” Background Below is the text of an email from a Raleigh elementary school’s PTA that was shared with the senators by a concerned parent: