Bellevue second graders return to class Tuesday after district, educators reach reopening agreement
The Bellevue School District will allow second graders back in classes starting Tuesday after an agreement was reached between the district and educators.
This comes after the Bellevue Education Association (BEA) said that teachers will not come back inside a classroom until all of their educators are immunized.
Last week, the BEA held an emergency meeting Tuesday voting on the matter. Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran told Q13 News that he could not operate with that request.
The stand-off between union educators and the district escalated into a legal battle.
However, during a late-night meeting on Monday, an agreement was reached to send second graders back into classrooms starting Tuesday.
"We are pleased to let you know the Bellevue School District and the Bellevue Education Association, the educators’ union, have approved a plan to bring our youngest learners back to buildings, while also balancing the need to ensure and respect the health and safety of our educators and staff. We look forward to seeing our second graders back in person tomorrow, and all remote learning – synchronous – will continue tomorrow for all our other grades," the district said on its website.
As approved by the BEA on Monday:
- Second graders will continue to meet in-person on Tuesday and Thursday of this week, with Wednesday being a remote learning day. There is no school on Friday.
- First graders will come back to the classrooms on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9. The rest of the week will be remote.
- Kindergarteners will start in-person learning on Feb. 11 and Feb. 12.
- Those who are currently approved for in-person learning can return to the building on Tuesday and continue with their normal schedules.
School was closed on Monday as the district and the union worked on an agreement.
The district said it has created a plan to help staff access the coronavirus vaccine, and it is currently working with local agencies and pharmacies to hold vaccine clinics in the district.
Duran told Q13 News last week that the district has been serving 800 students in person since September, many of them special education students. He said there has been zero transmission at their schools.