'Making good progress on negotiations,' Seattle schools says after three days of teacher strike

Seattle Public Schools wrote to students' families on Saturday saying they are “making good progress on negotiations.”

Teachers and other certificated staff started striking on Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school. The bargaining teams met on Saturday and worked “late into the evening,” per the district. “We are optimistic an agreement will be reached so our students can begin school as soon as possible.”

RELATED: Unpacking the complexities of teacher strikes

Whether school will start on Monday remains unclear, but an update is due today, Sunday.

Among the major issues is inclusion, which means placing children with special needs in mainstream classrooms. Teachers say they champion inclusion, but that they want assurances that these more challenging students will have teaching assistants to keep the classroom safe and manageable.

—Isolde Raftery