A teacher strike at all educational levels of the City takes place this Monday. But the uniqueness of this measure was the reason. And it generated debates and controversies.
The Association of Teachers of Secondary and Higher Education (Ademys) and the Union of Education Workers (UTE) - Ctera decided to stop and put as an argument the "unfounded allegations" of sexual abuse in a kindergarten in Palermo.
While waiting for official information on the scope of the measure, the controversy grows over a strike that surprised many families and is motivated by a series of complaints that have not yet been clarified.
The motivation for the measure was not a repudiation of the situation of vulnerability of the alleged victims, but of the "media and police violence" that they say the three teachers accused before the Justice are suffering. They were denounced for forcing 4-year-old boys to undress by deceiving them as if it were a game.
The UTE statement announcing the teachers' strike this Monday in the City.
The teachers were removed from their positions and an administrative investigation was initiated while the investigation progresses.
"From Ademys we repudiate the police and media violence exercised against the teachers of JIN C DE 9 who, in the framework of an investigation for alleged violation of rights and with teachers removed from their positions, intimidated the institution, leaving them isolated and incommunicado without any justification," the union said in a message on Twitter, prior to the strike on Monday.
They maintain that it is not the first time that it happens and that this "occurs in the framework of a systematic attack on teaching by the City Government, both on the symbolic level and on the material level when they propose poverty wages, naturalizing the double or triple day."
Although the statement is a clear defense of the accused, Jorge Adaro, union secretary of Ademys, tried to soften that controversial aspect. But he complained about the ways.
"We consider serious how it has been addressed. They have practically already denounced these teachers. There is an ongoing investigation, one should wait for the results of the investigation," he said.
"We strike in support of kindergarten teachers. There was a public domain situation. We need, of course, an investigation. What we are noticing is the procedure that has been taken."
The union's statement demanded "in-service training for all teachers to address situations of ASI (child sexual abuse) and violation of rights; increased budget for psychologists and guidance teams that allow a comprehensive approach in schools." And they exclaimed, "Get the police out of the schools!"
Federico Puy, the union's press secretary, was more emphatic in defending the teachers. "The City Government made a very strong attack against the teachers without evidence. The police entered, they have detained the comrades and left them incommunicado," he said.
On the other hand, the UTE union asked to end the "mistreatment of education" and called on the Buenos Aires Government to "generate tools for protection and reparation for teachers victims of violence and unfounded complaints and immediately reopen the salary table and working conditions. School is a territory of love, peace and solidarity."
UTE did not respond to Clarín's question about whether they believe, then, that the teachers should not have been removed from their positions during the ongoing investigation.
The Board of Directors of Ademys, from where they assured that on May 15 the protest measures will continue, made a judicial presentation in recent days against the Minister of Education of Buenos Aires, Soledad Acuña, to reject the "irregular and unilateral" placement of cameras in different schools of the City.
The argument of the presentation is to consider that the measure "violates the privacy of workers and violates the dignity of students."
The raid at the Nucleated Kindergarten of School District 9, at 2369 Darragueyra Street, in Palermo, took place last Thursday, when Investigations personnel of the Comuna 14 of the City Police moved to the institution to "kidnap elements of interest for the continuity of the investigation."
For now it is the last step of the investigation that follows the three teachers separated from the position, in a case that has complaints from at least ten families.
Acuña's letter to teachers
On Sunday night, hours before the strike, Soledad Acuña sent a letter to the teachers of the City
"As I know you and I know that you are concerned about the situation of one of the initial level schools of our educational system, I share the actions we have been carrying out to accompany the educational community," he began.
Acuña remarked that the accused teachers were separated from their posts "while the facts denounced are clarified," to protect the safety of the children, as well as that of the teachers.
He also clarified that the Protocol of Violation was activated and the Council on the Rights of Children and Adolescents was given intervention as a specialized agency.
Acuña also pointed out that the Legal Guidance Service for Teachers of the Ministry of Education accompanies the kindergarten management team during the judicial procedure.
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