Concerned parents of Strongsville students: Hostile teachers setting bad example

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - Parents of students in the Strongsville school district say how the teachers are treating potential substitutes and other community members is setting a poor example.

While peaceful protesting is allowed, Strongsville parents say the protests outside city hall by teachers preparing for a strike are doing anything but.

No arrests have been made, but the police presence has been increased at the site where parents say teachers are threatening potential substitutes, whom they refer to as scabs, scaring some away from even applying for the temporary job.

One woman was seen walking away from the building crying, scared off by the teachers chanting "excellence by us" in people's faces.

Around 1:40 p.m., things were beginning to simmer down at city hall and the crowd of troubled teachers began to dissipate slightly.

Parents our crews talked with at the scene were upset that the teachers didn't solve these concerns over summer break, with one parent asking, "why wait until now when school is in session?"

Some residents question the logic of striking at all, given the current economic climate.

"I appreciate the hard work the teachers do. It's not an easy job. But at he same time, it's a tough economy" said Strongsville resident Mark Hencosh.

Overall, parents and the community are disappointed with the way the teachers are handling the situation, saying they're setting a bad example. Some subs even had to be escorted away from the building because of the hostile environment.

The story is all the buzz on social media, with hundreds of comments on our Facebook page and others by our followers on Twitter.

@MetaLSolter the current teaching staff should be ashamed of their unprofessional, bullying behavior.

@MZAK_CLE Awesome role models

@MetaLSolter How unprofessional. Perhaps those teachers need to attend a professional development seminar, emphasis on professional.

Teachers will begin negotiating a contract with the board Sunday around 6 p.m.