Strongsville Board of Education likely will challenge school administration decision to ban substitue teachers who worked during strike

[Bob Sandrick/Northeast Ohio Media Group]

The Board of Education may try to reverse a decision by the Strongsville City Schools' administration to stop using substitute teachers who crossed picket lines during the eight-week teachers' strike.

David Frazee, board president, said the board will likely schedule an emergency meeting Saturday morning to discuss that decision, made earlier this week.

"The board needs to figure out how to correct this," Frazee told cleveland.com this evening. "We (on the board) are all in agreement that this is not the way we would treat someone who put their neck out for us."

Frazee said he was also upset that the administration did not notify the board of the decision beforehand. He said he learned of the administration's decision from a cleveland.com reporter earlier today.

Frazee said he was still trying to schedule a time for the emergency meeting but added that it would likely occur Saturday morning.

Frazee said the entire meeting will probably take place in executive session since it regards public employees. He said he does not expect the board to take official action Saturday morning.

On Monday, Assistant Superintendent Cameron Ryba sent letters to substitute teachers who crossed picket lines in Strongsville earlier this year. In the letter, Ryba thanked the teachers for their service.

However, Ryba told the substitute teachers that their services would no longer be needed in the Strongsville district.

"We believe that this is a necessary step to continue to assist our district in moving forward in a positive direction," Ryba said.

Ryba was out of town today and could not be reached for comment. Superintendent John Krupinski and Tracy Linscott, president of the Strongsville Education Association, did not return calls.

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