Many Medford students will return to class today, but their teachers won鈥檛 be there. District teachers have been on strike since Thursday.
After being closed for three days while the Medford School District made strike preparations, schools are reopening today with half-day schedules.
The Medford Mail Tribune reports that Superintendent Phil Long would not verify exactly how many substitutes the district had hired. He also declined comment on the number of teachers who had decided to return to school despite the strike.
The modified school schedules and locations, as well as modified bus routes, are available on the district's website.
School administrators say they aren鈥檛 expecting 100 percent attendance. Classified workers, who are not on strike, will be in the classrooms with the substitute teachers throughout the district.
Many of the striking teachers left lesson plans for the substitute teachers to use. Substitute teachers will focus on reading, writing and math, and will teach from the lesson plans prepared by teachers.
A state mediator will check in with district and union bargaining teams today before both sides resume contract negotiations at 9 a.m. tomorrow.