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The teachers have begun a strike mere days before the new school year.

Over the weekend, the representatives of the Columbus Education Association union, the education staff union representing the Columbus City Schools district in Columbus, Ohio, voted to go on strike. According to the members of the union, they are protesting poor learning conditions such as bloated class sizes and dysfunctional heating and air conditioning systems in classrooms.

“94% of Columbus Education Association (CEA) members voted to reject the Board’s last, best and final offer and go on strike for the first time since 1975,” the union said in a statement on Twitter. “CEA is committed to bargaining for the safe and welcoming, properly maintained, and fully-resourced public schools Columbus students deserve.”

In response to the strike, the Columbus Board of Education expressed disappointment that they could not come to an agreement. “Tonight’s vote by the Columbus Education Association (CEA) is incredibly disappointing. We are saddened by the unfortunate situation our families, our community and, most importantly, our children now face,” the board said in a statement.

Columbus City Schools teachers are on picket lines this morning after voting last night to strike. Learn more: https://t.co/1reASxsoJp pic.twitter.com/moJWWwbb1H

— Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) August 22, 2022

The new school year is slated to begin this coming Wednesday, and at the time of writing, that has not changed. However, assuming the teachers are still on strike when the semester begins, the district’s 47,000 students will need to take online classes with substitute teachers. After-school activities like sports clubs will likely be affected, if not cancelled outright, as the district’s coaching staff are also part of the union and, by extension, the strike.