SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle officials say the start of in-person classes for some special-education students and preschoolers has been pushed back to March 29.
Seattle Public Schools had hoped to resume classroom learning for some students during the coronavirus pandemic this week.
The new target date was announced Tuesday by the district and the teachers’ union.
The Seattle Times reports the announcement comes after intense opposition from the union to the district’s move to summon 700 educators back to buildings this week to teach students ahead of an agreement on expanding in-person instruction.
Those educators were supposed to report to their buildings on Monday to ready their classrooms for learning, but a campaign by the union - the Seattle Education Association - asked them to stay remote.
A safety check of some district buildings by union and district officials, an independent HVAC system contractor and the state Labor & Industries department found no major issues.
The two parties are still working on an agreement to offer in-person services to around 10,000 students, including kindergartners and first-graders. The timeline is the first jointly released by management and labor for any type of in-person instruction since the pandemic began.
Seattle Public Schools is the state’s largest district, with about 50,000 students.
Gov. Jay Inslee, who is urging schools to reopen to students, has made all teachers in the state eligible for the COVID-19. That move angered some other workers in industries like restaurants that have largely remained open during the pandemic.
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