San Francisco plans to reopen in-person classes for youngest students

San Francisco, March 8 San Francisco school officials plan to reopen in-person classes for some of the youngest students, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle.

School board officials said in a statement that they reached a tentative agreement with the teachers union to "return as many students as possible in focal groups to nearly a full school day, 5 days a week," beginning April 12. Those groups are primarily preschool through fifth grade. It's unclear when the rest will reopen, the report said, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

The board still needs to vote on the deal. The board's next meeting is Tuesday.

It's still unclear how many of the school district's 52,000 students will return before the term ends June 2.

"This is an important step on our path to reopening schools. We continue to be committed to ensuring every student and family in the San Francisco United School District is receiving the support they need," San Francisco school board president Gabriela Lopez was quoted as saying.

The deal came after weeks of increasingly tense negotiations. The school district and board have faced escalating pressure from parents and city officials to reopen schools.

( With inputs from IANS )