Ratification votes for the tentative agreement begin Monday evening and will last until Thursday afternoon.

As schools remain closed in Los Angeles, recreation centers help scrambling families.

The Philadelphia district and the teachers union moved closer to a contract agreement, just hours after the union’s president told members “we are on the brink of a strike vote.” 

Major gaps remain on vaccination timelines, the amount of surveillance testing of school staff, and which educators should get accommodations. 

If talks fall short, the union’s leadership plans to call a strike authorization vote Tuesday afternoon.

Calling for a strike ratchets up pressure on Mayor Bill de Blasio to delay the scheduled return to in-person instruction on Sept. 10.

The event marked the first unified show of force as teachers and their unions continue to play an increasingly vocal role in the debate over when and how schools should reopen.

This marks the first time a national teachers union has explicitly endorsed teachers strikes as a tactic, as educators continue to raise concerns about school reopening plans.

As virus counts rise and teacher anxiety spikes, a new wave of teacher activism could be on the horizon.