AEA checking in on Tuscaloosa County School teachers after hundreds of students walkout

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - WBRC is getting new reaction to the walkout of more than 200 Tuscaloosa students from the largest teachers union in Alabama, the Alabama Education Association.

AEA representatives tell WBRC that they are reaching out to teachers at Hillcrest High School to see if they have any complaints about their curriculum and lesson planning with the district. AEA reps said they have not heard anything like this before from this area.

The walk out comes after students claimed that an administrator said their Black History Month event shouldn’t mention figures before 1970, and that their teachers weren’t teaching key parts of Black History.

AEA Reps said they have not heard any educator complaints so far, but that state law requires teachers to teach everything in accordance with the state’s course of study. The teachers create lesson plans that administrators can also see.

“Our course of study is very broad,” William Tunnell with the Alabama Educators Association said. “It’s very good and we don’t get a lot of curriculum complaints from members about their liberty to teach things. One of the things we are hearing is that this is a great opportunity. We want our teachers, support staff, administrators, as well as students and parents, don’t miss this opportunity to talk about concerns and problems.”

WBRC reached out to the Tuscaloosa County School system to learn more about their plans moving forward, we did not hear back.

In an earlier statement, the system said “We are putting together a plan to make sure our students feel heard, so that we know the right steps to put in place to ensure all students know that they are valued.”

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