A Valencia Public School Has Invited Parents and Pupils to a Sleepover-Protest Inside the School Gym

As La Cotorra has learned, teachers at public schools in Valencia, preparing for the indefinite strike starting on 11 May, have decided to launch their protest with more than just rallies and picket lines.

Parents of pupils at a municipal school received an invitation via the school app to a "day of fun and protest," featuring workshops, a sound protest, and a sleepover in the gymnasium.

Teachers in the public education system have called an indefinite strike in protest against funding shortfalls, overcrowded schools, working conditions, and the regional authorities' education policy.

In their letter, the teachers explain that they want "through a variety of activities, to build an educational community, to explain the reasons that have led teachers to call this indefinite strike, and to teach our pupils how to defend their rights together, in a coordinated and peaceful way." The programme includes a general assembly, poster-making workshops, the creation of a collaborative video, a collective mural, and a "sound protest." Participants are asked to bring "musical instruments or objects with which to make noise."

After the activities, a shared dinner is planned, "where everyone will bring something to contribute," and afterwards those who wish to may stay overnight in the school gymnasium. Minors are admitted only when accompanied by an adult.

In their letter to parents, the teachers stress that "what is at stake are the values of the public school — the only school that guarantees social justice, equality, and solidarity."

As one Russian-speaking mother of a pupil told La Cotorra, her family is also planning to take part in the action. The format of the event, she said, struck her as unusual and appealing.