Teachers in West Virginia are continuing to pack food bags for students so they don’t go hungry even as the teachers strike stretches into its fourth day.
Ahead of the strike, teachers at schools across the state packed “take home” bags of food for students who rely on the free or reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches, CNN reported.
“Before they made the decision to strike, they wanted to make sure their students’ needs were taken care of,” said Jennifer Wood, with the American Federation of Teachers union in West Virginia.
Teachers in West Virginia have refused to go to school for four consecutive days in protest of low state-set teacher salaries. The strike marks the first teachers’ strike in the state since 1990.
Public schools in all of the state’s 55 counties have stayed closed as more than 20,000 teachers and 10,000 school staff have protested teacher salaries in the state, which remain among the lowest in the nation.
{mosads}As the strike stretched into its fourth day Tuesday, teachers continued their efforts to pack bags for students to ensure they do not go hungry, according to CNN.
Families are being told to go to specific pickup points to receive the food since the students are not in school to pick up the bags.
“Our students rely on us for more than just education, so we are trying to help them during this time,” said Kevin Green, who teaches social studies at River View High School. “We want to continue to show our love for our kids, even when we can’t be there because we are fighting for our rights.”
Nearly one-quarter of children in West Virginia live in poverty, CNN reported.
CNN reported that local food banks, churches and nonprofits are pitching in with the effort to give students meals during the strike.