Parents from the Mars School District showed their support for teachers outside the district offices along Route 228 Friday, Nov. 13, 2020.

ADAMS TWP – In the spring, it was Mars Area teachers who lined the roads with signs supporting students stuck at home during the pandemic.

On Friday, it was parents holding signs supporting teachers.

A dozen or more Mars Area parents gathered around 2 p.m. Friday outside the district administration building to generate awareness about current working conditions within the district.

“This is not about the pandemic,” said Julia Konitzky, who has three kids in the district. “The teachers don't have a contract.”

District leaders and parents have recently addressed the fact that Mars Area faculty has now been working more than 130 days without a new contract.

So far this year, there's been one negotiation session between Mars Area Education Association (MAEA) and administration due to two sessions being canceled by the district. The district also hasn't proposed a new contract since the beginning of the calendar year, according to MAEA.

On Monday, MAEA voted to authorize a strike if its negotiation team felt one was needed.

Although there are no additional details on a possible strike at this time, some district parents are eager to show their support for the teachers. That's what led to a last-minute plan to picket along Route 228 as students left school.

Read more about the protest in Wednesday's Cranberry Eagle.