Some teachers unions asked their members to wear black to promote safe schools during the recent wave of the Omicron variant. 

The unions say classrooms need to be safer amid the spike in COVID-19 cases.

The Board of Education Union Coalition, which is made up of several teachers unions across the state, is asking for the implementation of nine protocols. Those protocols include new, more aggressive testing, access to cost-free testing at all schools, the requirement of N-95 masks in all schools regardless of vaccination status, and prohibiting of combining classes due to staffing shortages.

The Board of Education Union Coalition surveyed 5,500 teachers and staff upon their arrival from winter break regarding safety. Of those surveyed, 62% say they don't have supplies and protocols in place to feel safe, and 37% said they work directly with students who can't or refuse to wear masks.