Teachers unions had a greater effect on school reopening plans than COVID-19 hospitalizations, a new report examining unions in 250 large, urban school districts found.

Teachers unions have often demanded lower community spreads of the coronavirus before they are willing to return teachers to the classroom.

More students, more teachers. Thousands of valley kids will make their return to the classroom next week. For many, it marks the first in-person learning in more than a year. But before that happens, there's a conversation we need to be having with our kids. 13 Action News anchor Tricia Kean picks up some important safety advice from a local expert.

As the Los Angeles Unified School District prepares to reopen elementary schools for the first time in 13 months, recently released court documents show that while the district pushed for more instructional time for students earlier this year, the union successfully bargained for a reduced teacher workday—and a lot more of what it wanted.

A student in mental health or behavioral crisis can display obvious actions such as punching or screaming. But other mental health struggles can be hidden, including suicidal ideations, depression and anxiety. As more students return to school after long periods of virtual learning, schools need to be prepared to respond strategically to all types of intensive behaviors, say school psychology experts.

Last month in Chicago, after months of heated negotiations, the teachers union and Chicago Public Schools emerged with one of the most detailed school reopening agreements in the nation. Brad Marianno, an education policy professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has been studying these agreements since last spring, called it the most comprehensive he’s seen, citing its inclusion of things like testing protocols, measures that might lead to reclosing schools, and vaccination commitments. Among other things, the union succeeded in negotiating accommodations for hundreds more members at higher risk of Covid-19 complications, or who serve as the primary caregiver for someone at higher risk, than the district had originally agreed to accommodate.

There will be no need for backpacks when Shannon Smith’s second-graders enter their West Prep Academy classroom for the first time on Monday.

Parents may fear that if their high school student isn't motivated to do well in classes, there's nothing that will change that.

Parents may fear that if their high school student isn't motivated to do well in classes, there's nothing that will change that.

Parents may fear that if their high school student isn’t motivated to do well in classes, there’s nothing that will change that.

Some of the Las Vegas Valley’s youngest students are facing a huge transition this week as they set foot in a classroom for the first time in nearly a year — or the first time ever, for some — and mental health experts warn that it may not a smooth one.

Some Clark County School District students may have some first day of school jitters as they head back to in-person class Monday morning.