Thousands of Puerto Rico teachers protest for higher wages

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Thousands of teachers across Puerto Rico have left their classrooms and took to the streets to demand higher wages, improved working conditions and better pensions amid an economic crisis. Several schools were completely void of teachers on Friday as protesters gathered in the capital of San Juan and other cities and marched, clapped and banged on pots while supporters honked their horns as they drove past. The protest is the biggest one so far this week, with Puerto Rico’s Department of Education announcing on Thursday that some 5,000 teachers, or about 25% of those working in public schools, were absent. Updated numbers for Friday’s protest weren’t immediately available.