Swansenreport

The Madison Metropolitan School District will cancel all classes and after-school care this Friday, May 1, after the teachers union announced that roughly 70 percent of its members plan to skip work to participate in “A Day Without Immigrants” — drawing sharp criticism from Wisconsin’s own Rep. Tom Tiffany.

The announcement came after Madison Teachers Inc. reported it had gathered signatures from 70 percent of district staff supporting participation in the May Day Strong national day of action. The district warned that such a high level of expected absences would leave schools unable to operate safely due to insufficient supervision and educational support for students. Urban Milwaukee

The event, organized in part by Voces de la Frontera, calls for no school, no work, and no shopping on May 1. Madison Teachers Inc. said students are experiencing “heightened anxiety” and fear that ICE agents will come for them or their families, and framed the protest as an act of solidarity with immigrant communities. FOX6 News Milwaukee

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) pushed back hard, citing the district’s own academic performance record. In a statement to Off The Press, Tiffany said fewer than half of students in the Madison Metropolitan School District are proficient in reading, yet the district is shutting down on a week’s notice because the teachers union is choosing to take a day off in solidarity with immigrants rather than focusing on teaching kids to read.

Despite the cancellation, students will not be required to make up the missed day. District officials said instructional time still meets Department of Public Instruction requirements, and the day will be treated as a single-day emergency closure similar to a snow day. School resumes Monday, May 4. Urban Milwaukee

The Madison closure is not isolated — at least nine North Carolina school districts also canceled Friday classes after more than 1,800 staff members said they would not attend. Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union took a different approach, agreeing to keep schools open while providing buses to give students the option to attend pro-labor rallies as a field trip. FOX6 News Milwaukee The last time Madison schools closed for staff protests was in 2011, when teachers walked out for four days over then-Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 legislation. FOX6 News Milwaukee

Sources: Wisconsin Public Radio | WMTV NBC15 | WKOW 27 | Channel 3000