According to the press release, some members of the union arrived Wednesday morning to picket outside district buildings not realizing that an agreement had been reached just an hour and a half before.

Union officials said the agreement includes “important compromises for the good of our students and community.”

The district's 4.8 mill operating levy passed by 65 percent on Nov. 3

The critical point in negotiations that caused the since averted strike was healthcare benefits.

The district was hellbent on  increasing the share of the premium paid by employees from 6% to 15% and adding co pays and deductibles to the healthcare plan.

The tentative agreement between the parties to the collective bargaining agreement at issue, namely the board of education and the teachers union, comes as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the world and the country.

Some 274,000  people in America have died from the deadly virus since it ht the U.S. with a vengeance in early March and as the country awaits  emergency use approval of a COVID-19 vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration.

The city of Cleveland, which borders the suburb of Cleveland Heights, announced Wednesday that the city has exceeded some 12,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, and that 158 people have died from the disease since March.

Cuyahoga County, a 29 percent Black county that includes Cleveland and several of its neighboring suburbs like Cleveland Heights and University Heights, has reported some 43,000 cases and 771 deaths.

City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County stay-at-home advisories remain in place until Dec 17, as well as a 10 pm-5 am curfew order by Gov. Mike DeWine that is set to expire on Dec. 10.

Ohio accounts for 438, 000 cases and  6,671 deaths.

Worldwide, over 64 million people have been infected with the virus.