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Teachers protest decision to have in-person classes over COVID-19 safety

"We just hope to advocate for the safety of our students, that's really it, we're concerned for ourselves but more than that our duty is always to keep our children.

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — The school year is set to start Monday during the age of coronavirus. Some students will go back to their schools, some will be tethered to their computers. But the decision for some school district to go back to the classroom is causing uproar among teachers. 

Sunday, Union County teachers and staff held a driving procession called "Drive to Stay Alive" — with a hearse leading the way.

Protesters wanted school officials to put the breaks on in-person learning 

"Concerns range as serious as, I fear for my life," Union County teacher Ashley McIntyre said. 

"Do our lives matter? Do our kids' lives matter?" Union County teacher Sophia Stephenson said.

They said they believe county school officials rushed the re-opening of schools without teacher input, and they feel they can provide a better education online, with safety top of mind. 

RELATED: Union County teachers voice concerns about returning to in-person learning

"We just hope to advocate for the safety of our students, that's really it, we're concerned for ourselves but more than that our duty is always to keep our children safe," Union County teacher Brittany Gendron said. 

Protesters also said they are cleaning student desks in between class changes that are hazardous, and teachers say they haven't been provided gloves.

Gaston County will also go back under Plan B, a hybrid of virtual and in-person learning. Teachers there are echoing the same concerns.

"Right now we're just rushing into it, and teachers think it sucks," Gaston County Teacher Scott Yamanashi said.

The 7th-grade teacher wants more safety procedures in place, like on-campus testing. But despite his uncertainty, he's hopeful.

RELATED: "We are ready to see you" | school leaders prepare for the start to school

"We're all in it for the calling, and we're not going to give up, I'm not, and my colleagues aren't," Yamanashi said. "We just really want the kids to feel like, hey we got you." 

Meanwhile, in Statesville, school officials said all seventh-grade students and teachers at Third Creek Middle School will begin the school year remotely after a student or teacher tested positive for COVID-19. 

RELATED: All 7th-grade students, teachers at one Iredell County middle school to start school remotely after positive COVID-19 test

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