Negotiation meeting set for Saturday in hopes of ending Strongsville teachers' strike

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - The Strongsville Education Association is calling on all five school board members to attend a formal negotiation meeting on Saturday.

The meeting is set to take place at noon at the North Eastern Ohio Education Association office in Garfield Heights.

“We can only hope the board members will come on Saturday to negotiate an end to this crisis,” said SEA President Tracy Linscott, in a statement.

SEA representatives reportedly delivered invitations to Saturday’s session Wednesday to the homes of David Frazee, Carl Naso, Jennifer Sinisgalli, Richard Micko and Ruth Brikley.

NewsChannel5 has not been able to reach board members for comment.

But news of a negotiation meeting is a hopeful sign for the Kennell family.

“I want them to know that they should stop the strike,” said Anthony Kennell, a second grader at Kinsner Elementary in Strongsville. “This just isn’t right.”

Kennell was so frustrated with how little he was learning at school that he decided to stay home Wednesday and teach himself with help from his mother.

“People on both sides need to stop acting this way, sit down and figure this out because our kids’ education is what’s important,” said Nancy Kennell, Anthony’s mom. Kennell also has five other children who attend Strongsville schools.

Linscott said Tuesday that the quality of education at the schools is so poor now that she’s calling for all schools to close until the strike is resolved.

In just the last two days, people filed a variety of incident reports with the Strongsville police surrounding the strike. They include teachers gathering in front of board president Frazee’s house, and a driver following and harassing teachers. Another report states that a substitute teacher’s car was broken into.

“It’s mudslinging and name-calling, and it’s got to stop,” said Kennell who added that she understands both sides of the fight. But she’s in favor of closing the schools, if that’s what it takes to get the strike resolved.

“All that’s getting hurt are the kids, and the city of Strongsville,” Kennell said.

“This just isn’t right,” said Anthony Kennell. “I don’t like being with a substitute teacher.”