Thousands of Miami-Dade teachers take part in sickout
By Patricia Mazzei, Hannah Sampson and KathleenMcGrory/Miami Herald
In the most dramatic show of opposition in the state, more than 6,300 of Miami-Dade's 21,260 public-school teachers took a personal or sick day Monday to protest controversial legislation that would overhaul their pay. Though schools remained open and were staffed by substitute teachers, the ``sickout'' -- though most teachers said they took personal days -- was large enough to disrupt the day for thousands of schoolchildren. Later, more than 1,000 teachers gathered at Tropical Park in Westchester to drive the point home. That Monday's protest took place in the diverse, largely low-income Miami-Dade school district -- the state's largest -- was enough to catch the attention of Gov. Charlie Crist, who has until Friday to sign or veto the bill. (more...)