DETROIT (WXYZ) — A press conference will be held Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at the Fisher Building in downtown Detroit to discuss a civil lawsuit brought against Detroit Public Schools Community District for allowing in-person summer school classes during the pandemic.
WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE LIVE AT 4:30PM
Protesters have blocked buses from transporting Detroit students to clases since summer school began.
The class action lawsuit was filed Wednesday with the Michigan Court of Claims, asking for an emergency injunction to end in-person classses immediately. The lawsuit was brought on by Detroit teachers, parents and students, a release states.
“We don’t need another racist attack against Detroit or for Detroit to be used this summer as a Tuskegee experiment to determine whether or not schools can reopen in the fall. This the closest thing in my lifetime that I have seen that smacks of genocide. It is horrifying and needs to be stopped”, said BAMN National Chairperson and Attorney Shanta Driver who represents the plaintiffs in the case before Judge Cynthia Stephens.
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RELATED: Day 2: Protestors continue blocking buses as Detroit summer school opens amid virus
DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti responded to the lawsuit saying, "Our summer school program offers students, parents, and teachers a voluntary face to face or online K-12 educational option. No student, parent, or teacher was required to participate face to face. Voluntary face to face summer school is allowable under Michigan COVID safe reopening phases and our safety plan meets any reopening of school requirements as described by the federal or state government, including the Governor’s “Return to Learn Task Force” requirements. We are offering the same face to face services to children and families as over 300 daycares are to Detroit children in the city. In fact, our COVID safety standards exceeds daycare safety standards. If we are not legally able to provide face to face instruction to students this summer then the assumption should be that schools cannot legally reopen in the fall or in the near future throughout the country or in the state of Michigan.”
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