UPDATED: Framingham Teachers Picketing in Freezing Temperatures

Editor's Note: Updated with photo at 7:31 a.m. Patch has more photos in a slideshow here.

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On one of the coldest days of the year, members of the Framingham Teachers Association plan to picket in front of Barbieri Elementary, Cameron Middle, Dunning Elementary and Framingham High School Thursday morning, Jan. 24 before school.

The Association has been without a contract since August 31 and has been very public with its unhappiness with administration and the School Committee. The teachers negotiated a one-year contract the year before.

Administration and members of the Framingham Teachers Association are scheduled to meet with a mediator today, said Association President Sam Miskin, a high school teacher.

That cancelled session led to a union vote, that left some high school students without extra help afterschool just before mid-term exams. High School students are taking mid-term exams this week.

Tuesday night at the School Committee meeting, Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott said he remains "optimistic" that a contract can be reached soon.

"Teachers are still on the job and doing their work," said Scott. "Hopefully, we will get a settlement as soon as possible."

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This was the second time in six months the union brought a large number of its

Negotiations are typically held behind closed doors.

Some after-school clubs at the elementary and high school level have been cancelled, too.

Some member of the teachers' union picketed at Cameron Middle School Wednesday, said Miskin.

Last week Cameron Middle teachers met with their union and after the meeting Principal Judith Kelly sent this email to parent "...teachers met with their union representatives. I was not privy to this meeting but the outcome was that the teachers will no longer help students during lunch periods. As you know almost all our teachers have been offering extra help five days a week during their own lunch periods for students to be re-taught information or to get individual assistance with homework and difficult curriculum. This will no longer be the case. They are in the midst of negotiating a contract, as many of you know. Until a contract has been settled they will not assist students during their lunch periods. I wanted to make you aware of this new development. We all hope for a speedy negotiation."