Striking teachers and staff have reached a tentative deal with school district officials in St. Paul, Minnesota, ending a walkout that caused tens of thousands of students to miss school for four days.
St. Paul Federation of Educators started picketing on Tuesday. The union said it had failed to reach a deal with St. Paul Public Schools after nine months of negotiations and despite marathon bargaining last weekend. But now, the teachers say they had to settle due to the possibility of school closures over coronavirus.
The union's president said in a statement, "Only an unprecedented pandemic and concern over the health and safety of our students and staff stopped St. Paul educators from fighting harder and longer for more resources for our children."
The school district declined to release details of the agreement. But the union said it includes hiring hire more mental health professionals, multilingual staff, special education teachers and social workers.
Classes are set to resume on Monday.
