EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart in response to Wednesday’s state Senate passage of legislation restoring workplace rights to school employees:

“This is a great day for educators, students, parents and local schools across Michigan. Frontline educators deserve to have a voice in the workplace, so they can advocate for their students and help ensure our kids get the resources they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.

“Twelve years ago, the previous governor and Legislature stripped away educators’ basic workplace rights, and that has directly contributed to the educator shortage our schools have been facing these last few years. By restoring educators’ voices at the workplace, the new Senate and House majorities have shown they are serious about restoring respect for the education profession and fixing the educator shortage.

“We look forward to Gov. Whitmer signing this monumental legislation. Our kids deserve the best and brightest educators working in their schools — and to attract and retain high-quality teachers and support staff, we must treat Michigan educators like the professionals they are. After all, our educators’ working conditions are also our students’ learning conditions.”