IES Felanitx, at the limit: teachers report falling ceilings and leaks with improvised pools

A group of teachers organized under the name Profesores en acción from IES Felanitx has initiated a series of protests to denounce serious deficiencies in the center, such as the fact that in one area, after the ceiling had been concreted, the concrete seeped through the false ceiling inside the entrance, as well as the need to use a plastic pool to collect rainwater from leaks. In this context, they warn of the "deep discontent of the educational community due to the current situation of the center regarding the building's structure and the ongoing works – which, incidentally, were supposed to start last summer, not at the beginning of the course".

These days, teachers have gone outdoors with pots and pans and green t-shirts to denounce that the Conselleria's response to the situation caused by the works is "totally insufficient". According to the collective, "the prefabricated classrooms are not enough to house all teachers and students, some of whom in some sessions are forced to teach in the corridors or the courtyard, nor is there adequate space to carry out the tasks of janitorial and secretarial staff".

Facilities in poor condition

In the statement, the teaching staff acknowledges the work done by the current and previous management teams, but warns that the center's shortcomings, such as “not having a fire escape in proper condition for immemorial years; dampness; falling tiles, etc.”, have worsened due to this year's rains. “Thus, when these events began, we were forced to abandon certain spaces”, they explain. This initial situation “had led to a strike call by students, which was halted when it was announced that the works would begin”. Nevertheless, as they denounce, “the problems have been growing parallel to the inclement weather and the start of the works”.

The teaching staff assures that “the climate that has progressively been created is unbearable” and differentiates between difficulties they consider acceptable and others that are not. Among the former, they mention “the lack of parking space, the lack of access to necessary spaces for our daily work (janitorial services, secretarial office…)”.

As for the situations they consider unacceptable, they denounce “the fact of not having adequate spaces to teach classes, which forces us to distribute students in the building entrance, in the hallways, in the courtyard… as improvised classrooms”. Finally, they warn of a scenario they describe as a limit: “But what is totally unacceptable is that we have reached a point where we are putting people at risk”. The collective Teachers in action thus concludes the beginning of a cycle of mobilizations to make visible a situation they consider unsustainable.