WTU President Pogue Lyons spoke with Channel 9 News reporters re: DCPS' failure to return to the bargaining table. She was asked if the WTU intended to strike. Click the image or here to learn more.

The Washington Informer interviewed WTU's President Pogue Lyons on the soon-to-expire WTU contract, 17 school safety recommendations submitted to DCPS, and the WTU survey of 750 teachers on school violence. 

She told The Informer that DCPS' lack of response to the 17 safety recommendations underscored their lack of urgency about key issues affecting teachers.

She emphasized the importance of carefully reading the survey results which showed that 45% of teachers have considered leaving the profession. For her, solidifying the 2023-2027 contract has become "a matter of retaining a solid educator workforce in underserved communities." Read the full story here.

Educators report being threatened and attacked by students and, in some cases, their parents. Elsewhere, they worry about censorship.

The Washington Post's Education Reporter Lauren Lumpkin interviewed a number of WTU teachers and WTU president Jacqueline Pogue Lyons before writing this article.

The Washington Informer published an editorial titled "Teaching and Learning Today in D.C. Public Schools," written by WTU President Pogue Lyons on school violence. Please take a moment to read it here.

Given the number of school violence, traumatic events and ongoing challenges facing our students, DCPS should be doubling down on investing in school safety and helping educators and families alike. But instead, they’re stalling like always, making a business out of making DC teachers beg for what their kids need. There’s no sense of urgency and no policy for dealing with these problems. Teachers are scared for their kids and for themselves.

In WTU's survey of nearly 800 teachers, for example, nearly half of teachers (49.1 percent) said they’ve seen knives, guns or other dangerous weapons brought to school. More than 90 percent of teachers said they’ve witnessed student-on-student violence including assaults, objects thrown, slaps or punches, verbal or physical threats. Nearly three-quarters, or 74 percent, of teachers said workplace violence has made them feel anxious, fearful or increasingly vigilant, 49 percent said it has made them feel sad and depressed, and 45 percent said they have considered leaving the profession because of the violence.

WHUR interviewed WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons on violence in schools. Check out the radio interview here!

The Washington Teachers Union (WTU) released a survey on Monday, August 14th showing the increasing levels of violence in schools and the necessity of providing teachers and students with additional supports needed to address this growing concern. Thirty percent of teachers surveyed have been assaulted by students, the union said, with 42% of them saying they were slapped, punched or kicked.

The rise in school violence is one of the reasons teachers say they are resigning and not returning to the classrooms in record rates. To address these concerns, the WTU is calling on DCPS to form a special committee, provide counseling services for students, families and staff, give mental health first-aid training to staff and implement other recommendations before school starts on Aug. 28. DCPS hasn't yet responded to the union's proposal, the union said.

To provide new District of Columbia teachers with additional support, the WTU will host a special New District of Columbia Teachers Meet and Greet on Thursday, August 17th to warmly welcome and support new teachers as they begin their teaching journey this fall. Please spread the word! August 17th. 4-7PM Martin Luther King Jr.'s Memorial Library - Rooftop Terrace. Click here to RSVP.