April 26, 2010 (WPVI) -- A judge has ordered teachers in the North Penn School District off the picket lines and back into the classroom by tomorrow morning.
Originally, the teacher strike was expected to last through tomorrow with the teachers going back to work on Wednesday.The attorneys representing the district and the union must go back before a judge on Wednesday. That's when the judge will determine if around the clock negotiating will be mandated.
The State Department of Education recently sent legal documents making both the North Penn School District and the Teachers Union making aware that this strike must end by law tomorrow evening. That is so students can complete the required 180-class day mandate by June 30, 2010. The district signed the documents but the union did not.
Stephen Hladik of the North Penn School Board reacted by saying, "I'm disappointed. I mean, there's no real need. If everyone agrees that's the maximum length of the strike, why require everyone to go to court today?"
But union officials said the teachers had every intention of returning to work Wednesday morning. They didn't sign the document because they wanted to force the district into a court hearing with the hopes of getting a judge to order around the clock bargaining to resolve the pending contract dispute.