Columbus teachers strike on first day back to school

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A strike by teachers in Ohio's largest school district entered its third day Wednesday — the first day of school for some 47,000 students, with some of those students and their parents rallying to their sides.

Parents, students, teachers and other employees gathered at schools across the Columbus School District with plans to picket for hours, advocating for safer buildings, better heating and air conditioning, smaller class sizes, and a more well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music and physical education. It’s the union’s first strike in the district since 1975.

Picketers blasted music on the sidewalks outside Whetstone High School in Columbus and waved to honking drivers. Some held up signs reading, “Columbus schools deserve working air,” “a history lesson in progress" and “my feet hurt but I'll walk as long as it takes.”

The school district and the union resumed bargaining Wednesday afternoon. The school board said its offer to the union put children first.

“We offered a generous compensation package for teachers and provisions that would have a positive impact on classrooms,” the board said in a statement.

Eva Tweneboagh, a senior at Whetstone High School, picketed alongside her teachers, her friends and friends' parents on the sunny Wednesday morning. She said it's strange to start off with another disrupted school year, especially since she “hasn't had a normal school year” through high school.

While she's worried about the strike continuing and affecting things like college scholarships and her grades, she said, her teachers shouldn't be backing down.

“What they're asking is reasonable,” Tweneboagh said. The school district and teachers “should be able to come together,” she said.

The Ohio Education Association said more than 94%...