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The Bellevue Education Associated plans to hold a special meeting Friday to discuss its next steps. (Shutterstock)
BELLEVUE, WA — With hundreds of Bellevue second-graders poised to return to the classroom Thursday morning, a standoff continued between the teachers union and district officials over whether existing public health precautions were sufficient to safely reopen schools before vaccines are available for all teachers.
Late Tuesday, the Bellevue Education Associated announced its members had voted overwhelmingly in favor of pausing the expansion of in-person learning until COVID-19 vaccinations are available for all educators.
Under the state's current timeline, teachers and school staff in high-risk groups, ages 50 and older, will be eligible for vaccination in the second tier of Phase 1B, slated to begin in February. However, a larger group of employees will not qualify until at least April. Earlier in the month, legislative leaders called on Gov. Jay Inslee and state health officials to modify the plan to include all school staffers earlier, but such changes have yet to come to fruition.