Gov. Healey against legalizing teacher strikes: 'Kids have been through enough'
BOSTON -- Teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts and 37 other states but the Massachusetts Teachers Association plans to file legislation soon that would allow strikes. WBZ-TV's Jon Keller asked Gov. Maura Healey if she thought that was a good idea.
"I don't. I've come to this Jon as the proud daughter of educators, I think we should be doing everything we can to support our educators, particularly in this time and what so many have been through with COVID. A lot of strain on our educators, also a lot of strain on our kids and families. Every day when I see kids out of school because of a strike, my heart just breaks because kids have been through enough in terms of learning loss and the like," Healey said.
She wants workers to get the compensation they deserve but "it's still paramount that our kids be in school."
Healey also said she supported taking a "hard look" at the current MCAS as a statewide graduation requirement. "I think it's important that we have assessment tools in place and that we are assessing the right things, a lot has changed in education."
"We talk a lot about social, emotional learning, we talk a lot these days about what it is that our young students actually need to excel in today's world," Healey said.
She touched upon remote work, technology, and emphasized mental health support.
Watch Part Two:
