BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) – With Alameda County moving into the red tier, school districts are also getting ready to resume in-person learning but not everybody is on board with the plan. 

Some Berkeley teachers say the district is bullying them into returning, even after telling them they could work at home for the rest of the school year. 

Berkeley schools will begin to welcome back students on March 29th but some teachers who are worried about their health and say the schools should remain closed.

They say they have underlying health conditions and were initially told they could work from home but they now say the district has changed their minds. 

Some teachers claim the school district is putting the lives of teachers and students at risk by rushing to re-open. 

“We are fighting for our students and until the students are vaccinated, they are also and will be at highest risk when the schools reopen,” Yvette Felarca said.

Teachers like Yvette Felarca claim the district is trying to force them back into the classroom, despite having underlying health conditions that put them at high risk of contracting COVID-19. 

“This is blatant harassment in an attempt to not only force teachers but also students back into classrooms without any regard for their safety,” Felarca said.

Felarca says she and other teachers were recently given permission by the district to work from home for the rest of the school due to health concerns, but then were recently told they had to come back to work. 

She fears forcing teachers and students, who haven’t been vaccinated, back into the classroom, which is a recipe for disaster. 

“We know that there are especially high rates of child hospitalizations in Black and Latino communities, and a huge disparity in deaths,” Felarca said.

Others worry the district is more concerned with getting the school back open, for funding purposes, than making sure everyone is protected. 

“One of my parents has already told me that she is not sending her child back to school until there are vaccinations for children,” another teacher said.

Tuesday, Berkeley Public Health Leaders said schools should reopen as soon as possible saying that science and data show it’s safe for all grades to return to class. 

Health leaders say COVID-19 testing includes all teachers, staff, and administration at the schools but some teachers aren’t convinced. 

Some fear that they could be putting their own loved ones at risk, if they’re forced to return.

“If the HR is telling me that I need to, as a teacher, that I need to be there for my students, I just have to say that my family comes before my career,” an educator said.

KRON4 reached out to Berkeley Unified for a response to the teacher’s claims, but so far we have yet to hear back. 

The Berkeley school board is set to meet tomorrow, where an update on school reopening is one of the items set on the agenda.