Group of Kent parents throw support behind striking teachers

KENT, Wash. — Some parents in Kent are throwing their support behind striking teachers — joining marches and even holding a picnic and showing up to picket Friday morning.

It has been more than week since the strike by Kent teachers in the Kent Education Association (KEA)  began and we’re continuing to see activity surrounding this labor conflict.

Jennifer Patterson is a parent in the Kent School District who says that parents need to voice their opinions on the issue now.

“Our kids are not in school right now and they’re kind of of having to suffer through adult situations. Really, our end goal is to get our kids, who have already been through the pandemic and now the strike, back in school,” said Patterson.

She says solidarity with the teachers has meant that some parents are working to fill gaps that are created without the presence of schools in students lives at the moment.

On Friday morning, some parents actually rallied in support of teachers, though Patterson says supporting the community as a whole has become a job for several parents.

“I’m encouraged from the community standpoint that we’ve got parents that are actively voicing their concerns. They are stepping up to the plate bringing supplies, whether it’s teachers for breakfast — kids with free sack lunches. We’ve got parents holding reading sessions with kids in their cul-de-sacs,” said Patterson.

Patterson agrees with several teachers and other parents who have voiced concern over class sizes. It is one of the issues, along with salary, that caused the teachers to go on strike in the first place.

The Kent School District is the fifth largest school district in Washington, providing education over a vast area of southern King County. Nearly 30% of the district’s entire student population actually attends only four of the district’s 42 schools. On its website, the district says the average class sizes are well below the limits in the current KEA contract.

If there is going to be some level of resolution to the work stoppage, Patterson believes parents could play a role in making it happen.

“It’s really going to come down to the parents, the parents have to voice that this is important> Our kids have gone through enough,” she said.

The next regular school board meeting for Kent schools is listed on its website as Sept. 14. If the strike lingers for that long, parents and students may show up to voice their opinions.

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