Red Wing residents call for teachers strike settlement

RED WING (AP) -- More than two dozen residents and students told the Red Wing School Board they want students back in school instead of stuck at home due to a teachers' strike that's in its third week.

They offered comments Monday evening ranging from vitriolic to challenging to somber. All, though, said they wanted classes to resume. And, according to one student who spoke, it had better be soon.

Teachers traded their picket signs for flashlights and lined the street prior to the meeting, then entered the hall clad in matching purple T-shirts.

No new mediation sessions are scheduled, but Education Minnesota Red Wing President Sue Wolter and School Board Chairman Kevin Mark said they hoped the meeting allowed people to express themselves.