The state of Michigan will foot the six-figure legal bill for the Detroit schools to sue two employees that the district claims instigated widespread teacher sickouts this past winter and spring.
As of mid-July, the state had already agreed to pay nearly $320,000 in the lawsuit against former Detroit Federation of Teachers President Steve Conn and high school teacher Nicole Conaway, the Detroit News reports.
Teachers said the sickouts were intended to draw attention to poor working conditions at the schools, cuts to their benefits, and large class sizes. The protests shut down nearly every school in the district on at least two occasions.
