Updated: Board President Says There Will Not Be a Lockout

Update, 5:30 p.m.
There will not be a lockout, David Tryon, president of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Board of Education, said in an email.

He added that he believes it is illegal for a district to “lockout” the teachers, but regardless of legality, the board will not do so.

The original article follows below.

Original article, posted 2:45 p.m.

The Brecksville-Broadview Heights Education Association is worried that teachers may get locked out of their classrooms if a new contract agreement is not reached by the start of the next school year.

Union President Bonnie Monteleone said teachers were encouraged to pack up their personal belongings Friday before leaving their classrooms for summer break.

The union and the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Board of Education have been involved in an . The union has , such as lessened planning time, and is worried about what might happen if an agreement is not reached. Monteleone said the union believes a lockout is possible if the sides don’t come to an agreement.

A lockout from the board would keep the teachers from entering their classrooms at the start of the school year, almost like a reversed strike.

Monteleone said she has been with the district for about a decade and has not seen a lockout in that time. The union is hopeful that they will be able to reach a resolution.

“We want the negotiations process to work,” she said.

Monteleone said the union has not taken out a strike authorization at this time, but they have talked to members about their rights. The union and the board have negotiation meetings scheduled for June, with the next one on June 15.

The superintendent and the president of the Board of Education could not be reached for comment.