JEFFERSON TWP — Instead of grinding out 10 to 12 hours on the picket line at the school campus, the striking South Butler School District teachers are using their time out of the classroom to help their communities.

That’s the word from Ian Babb, the South Butler County Education Association president, who said teachers will volunteer wherever needed in the communities where they live.

The negotiating team made the decision to march on Monday and Friday mornings only instead of the constant picket line because long hours of picketing had no impact on the school board’s willingness to settle, Babb said.

Several teachers have been through two or more strikes in the district, which has seen five strikes since 1979.

Regarding the teachers’ community service, Babb is helping at a church food drive and assisting a new mother with any needs she may have.

Others are also volunteering at their churches, helping neighbors prepare for Easter, performing springtime lawn work for neighbors not able to do so themselves, and donating to local food banks.

“We decided to focus on giving back in the community,” Babb said.

To find out more about what the teachers are doing while out on strike, read Tuesday’s Butler Eagle.