Fresno Unified approves emergency plan in case of teacher strike

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- You have probably heard the ad on the radio--asking you to apply to be a Fresno Unified substitute teacher.

The district has over 3,000 educators. So far, they have only received 1,000 applications and only 400 have been approved.

The first thing parents should know is your child has to come to class. All Fresno Unified schools will remain open, but what happens inside these classrooms is murky.

"I think it's immature to assume how many teachers we are going to need to replace, that implies a lack of a commitment to make this work and I'm not prepared to do that yet," said Bob Nelson.

If you are a high school senior hoping you land that scholarship -- you could be in trouble. The district is suspending all extracurricular activities, and that includes football.

The only service they will be providing is after school child care.

"Many times our coaches are teachers, it's not a situation where they can strike during the day and return to their coaching duties in the afternoon. We don't want to put our kids in a situation where they are trying to run a football program," said Nelson.

If teachers do go on strike, the superintendent also receives special powers, including buying curriculum material for subs and hiring additional security. Needless to say, the Fresno Teacher's Association is not pleased.

The union issued this statement saying "the emergency resolution characterizes teachers as criminals, but more importantly, it could put students in danger. Instead of focusing on preparing for a strike, Fresno unified should do everything they can to avoid a strike.

Both sides say they plan to meet again this Friday.