A new battle in West Virginia’s education wars began last Saturday. Hoping to reverse the mass movement that won statewide strikes in February-March 2018 and February 2019, Republican legislators have called a special legislative session to impose school privatization and to further criminalize striking. West Virginia school employees have again turned to mobilizing at the capitol and momentum towards further escalating actions is growing.

Though the Republicans’ “Student Success Act” passed in the Senate on Monday, it could still be killed in the House or through a veto by the governor. To assess the struggle, Eric Blanc, author of Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics, spoke with Nicole McCormick, a music teacher, president of the Mercer County Education Association, and member of the WV United Caucus.