STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – The Strongsville school board held its first meeting yesterday since the district’s teachers went on strike nearly seven weeks ago, and the atmosphere was as tense as everyone expected it to be.

Nearly 800 people filled the Strongsville High School auditorium. Cheers and boos could be heard throughout the meeting as people stood to address the school board, reports Cleveland.com.

The majority of those who spoke during the 60 minute public comment session criticized the teacher strike. Seventeen of the nearly 20 public speakers either commended the school board for taking a strong stand with the teachers union, or spoke negatively about the union (the Strongsville Education Association), according to the news site.

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Recent polls have shown a large majority of Strongsville residents oppose the teachers union and its strike.

The SEA has tried hard to disparage the district and the replacement teachers that have been hired to keep the schools open. Union members have even suggested that some of the replacement teachers are criminals who have not been properly screened by the district.

The replacement teachers were screened with the assistance of the local police department.

One Strongsville resident, Annette Potter, used her speaking time at Thursday’s meeting to dispute the union’s claim that the substitute teachers were not qualified.

“Some of the backgrounds are… bachelors in geo-biology and business economics and management from Cal Tech, bachelor of science in molecular and cellular biology… one teacher knows four languages,” said Potter.

Strongsville parent Erica Goe, whose daughter attends school in the district, urged the board to reject a “no reprisal clause,” which would prevent the district from punishing teachers, parents or students who took part in the strike, reports the news site.

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Goe said she was in contact with 57 union members who have indicated they are ready to cross the picket line. Several teachers have already done so.

“(The SEA’s) right to strike does not trump my daughter’s right to have free and uninterrupted education,” Goe said.

But as more and more speakers continued to come out against the union, some members of the audience began accusing the school board of “stacking the deck” of speakers.

Tad Colbeck, a labor relations specialist with the Ohio Education Association and a member of the SEA’s contract bargaining team, told reporters it was statistically improbable for that many randomly chosen speakers in a row to be pro-school board. According to Strongsville High School AP calculus teacher Michael Scott, the probability would be less than .5 percent.

The school board denied any wrongdoing, but one man in the audience was removed from the building after he accused the board members of being “(expletive) liars.”

The majority of the audience seemed to agree with one man’s suggestion that both sides agree to a 72-hour timeline to negotiate and bring the strike to an end.

“A house-divided against itself cannot stand,” said the man. “I believe there is a social contract in order, and that social contract is an education for our children.”