Facing the coronavirus concerns, teachers across Massachusetts are rallying for a safe reopening of schools this fall. Educators in Southbridge stood out near the center of town Monday asking for their voices to be heard. 

The union representing Southbridge teachers wants safety be the priority over academics when administrators finalize their plans.

The school district ordered computers for every student, and the Southbridge Education Association wants the superintendent to start the year with classes meeting remotely.

"When we started back in March, we were not doing remote learning, we were doing crisis learning remotely. We now have the capability of doing remote learning, so we’d like to start off that way. As we have time to plan and train and phase in students that would be a much safer start," says Jocelyn Tallis, president of the Southbridge Education Association.

The Southbridge school district is in state receivership. The teachers union is working with the superintendent and is hopeful his connection to the state's education commissioner will help lead to the best possible outcome.