About 75 students walked out of Woodhaven High School in Woodhaven Michigan Thursday morning in protest of a recent privatization of maintenance and transportation services.

At 10:10 a.m. the students left school property and walked about a mile or so to the administrative offices of the Board of Education, 24821 Hall Road.

They plan to be there until about the end of the school day.

Students were holding signs and chanting “save our staff” and the names of several high school security guards who are expected to be bumped out of their jobs.

The Woodhaven-Brownstown School District turned over its custodial and maintenance services Monday to a private out-of-state company, potentially leaving 28 employees without jobs.

District officials said anyone who was laid off, is qualified and has seniority over the security guards can bump the guards out of their jobs.

As part of the ruling, bus drivers and aides are expected to be replaced by GCA Services Group employees Jan. 4.

The protest remained organized and respectful. This is the second protest staged by students this week.

The first one was held Tuesday morning inside the high school.

Although both protests were considered respectful by administrators, 63 students were suspended for three days.

Some Woodhaven High School students were signed out by parents for a student-organized walkout Thursday and some just left school grounds on their own.

Whichever the case, about 75 students filed out of the building shortly after 10 a.m. to protest the recent privatization of maintenance, custodial and transportation service workers.

Some motorists honked their horns in support of the students as they walked along Van Horn Road to Hall Road, chanting and hoisting signs they made in support of staff.

The students ended their walk at the district’s administrative offices on the grounds of Patrick Henry Middle School.

Chad Smith, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal

Employees Local 3552, said four of the school’s five security guards were bumped out of their jobs Thursday.

The district began using GCA Services Group on Monday to fill the jobs of maintenance and custodial workers. Another outside company, First Student, will replace bus drivers and aides Jan. 4 to privatize those services.

Because they are in the same union, the laid-off employees have an opportunity to bump any of the security guards who have less seniority if they are qualified to take the job.

Many of the protesting students said they are close with the security guards and appreciate the fact that they know them by name and look out for them.

They do not want them replaced and are willing to risk repercussions to make their point.

Students said they were told that if they left school grounds for the protest they would receive a three-day suspension. The district has since made good on that warning.

Several parents came to the school and signed out their children to avoid possible suspensions.

Tammy Moss, the mother of sophomore Tierra Moss, said she is proud of her daughter’s stand.

Moss signed Tierra out of school and supported her walk against the outsourcing of the district workers.

“It just goes to show that kids have a voice and they need to be heard,” Tammy Moss said.

Her daughter said she has friends who have family members losing their jobs, and they are protesting to show they are disappointed with the system.

Tierra Moss said students received a flier from district officials telling them not to walk out during the school day, but to come to a Board of Education meeting at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at the administration building, 24821 Hall Road, Woodhaven, to voice their opinions there.

It appears that the students want to do both. Another protest is planned for 4:30 p.m. before the board meeting.

Junior Tyler MacDonald said he supports his favorite security guard. He said he walked out of the school without proper permission and was willing to accept the consequences.

That sentiment was shared by many, including senior James Cody. He said he is not concerned about being suspended, and his parents approve of what he did.

“There is no reason to fire the best security guards in the world,” Cody said.

Seniors Nick Lamentola and Justin Dozier organized the walkout. Lamentola said he organized it because there are better ways to manage the district’s money than to lay off employees who live in the district and have been around a long time.

Lamentola said the protest was for all employees and to let everyone know students oppose bringing in outside employees for local jobs.

“We want this to stop now before they start laying off other people,” Lamentola said. “The protest was for the public. We want to let them know about this.”

Dozier said students were more than willing to get behind them for the protest. As students gathered in front of the administrative offices, Dozier said they were doing the right thing and protesting the right way.

Senior Chelsea Fritz was eager to speak out against the privatization of services. She was critical of the new maintenance workers.

She and some other students said the buildings are not as clean as they used to be.

Vice Principal Jay Vesperman was waiting when the students reached the administration building. He welcomed them inside the building and offered them an opportunity to sign a petition acknowledging their protest that would be given to each school board member.

Vesperman said that would be the way to make their voices heard, especially as Supt. Barbara Lott and board members were not at the offices then.

Although the students were protesting so they could be seen by the public, Vesperman said it’s the board members who need to hear their message.

video of protest http://www.thenewsherald.com/video/video-news/?media=23899671

As reported in the News Herald