This just in from Montclair Local:

The union representing Montclair’s teachers — locked in a dispute with the school district over whether and when to return to in-person learning amid the novel coronavirus pandemic — told its members Thursday the district was taking the union to court.

“Unfortunately, we have been informed that it is the district’s plan to take the association to court over our advocacy for the health and safety of students and staff,” Petal Robertson, president of the Montclair Education Association, wrote in a message to members this morning. “We always have been, and still are, committed to a mediation process. We will provide additional details when we are permitted to do so.”

But a press statement the MEA issued Wednesday afternoon didn’t specifically address any court action, and said the union didn’t know what steps would be next. It did, say, though: “Unfortunately, the district has not been able to agree to our reasonable requests for information nor our request to remain remote until the surge in transmission rates and positive cases has decreased to safer levels.”

Montclair Local has not yet seen a court filing from the district or MEA regarding the dispute. The district has not yet returned messages seeking comment.