D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Tuesday withdrew a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order against the Washington Teachers Union after its members voted against authorizing a strike.
Union spokesman Joe Weedon confirmed to The Washington Times on Wednesday that the restraining order request had been dropped.
The lawsuit was filed more than a week ago in an effort to thwart a potential strike that would have interrupted the return of hundreds of D.C. Public School students to in-person learning. The children returned to classrooms last week for the first time since March amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Following Tuesday’s vote, union members and the American Federation of Teachers sent a letter to city officials that outlined six coronavirus-related requests.
Educators want the city to create a “situation room” to respond to emergency issues within 24 hours and to require a 24-hour immediate shut down for deep cleaning of any school where a coronavirus exposure has been confirmed, among other items.
The letter also mentioned Helen Marie White, a Ballou STAY Opportunity Academy teacher who died of the virus over the weekend.
“We must make sure schools are safe. What keeps me up at night is that the district is putting the health of our city’s educators and students at risk with in-school learning because of continuing exposures in schools, numerous reports of violations of agreed-upon safety protocols and, tragically, the death of a beloved teacher,” Elizabeth Davis, union president, said. “Our teachers are pleading with the mayor and chancellor to wake up to the reality that things are not right or safe in our schools.”
• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.
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