The Washington Teachers’ Union and D.C. Public Schools reached an agreement Thursday on how to reopen schools, putting to rest months of negotiations that hobbled the school system’s efforts to bring students back for in-person instruction.

Under the plan, teachers could be required to work in-person once the third quarter starts in February. The union, which represents more than 5,000 educators, had fought to allow teachers who did not want to return to buildings during the coronavirus pandemic to teach virtually.

Washington Teachers’ Union President Elizabeth Davis said many teachers are worried they could be mandated to teach face-to-face. But Davis said she decided to move forward with the agreement to secure other protections, including safety standards in buildings, personal protective equipment for teachers, and a requirement that schools report cases of COVID-19 to staff and families.

“Even though we didn’t get everything we wanted, it’s something I believe we can work with on ensuring that safety protocols are going to be observed,” Davis said.

D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee said in a statement the agreement “represents our shared commitment to ensuring students have the high-quality education and supports they need to thrive.”

“I look forward to expanding in-person learning opportunities throughout the District and am grateful to our educators for their commitment to student success,” he said.

The accord will likely make it easier for D.C. schools to offer more in-person learning. The school system planned to welcome back thousands of elementary school students to classrooms in November.

But those plans fell through after the city’s Public Employee Relations Board ruled DCPS failed to collectively bargain with the union over reopening plans. The board mandated the school system rescind two surveys it used to determine staffing, leaving D.C. schools unable to fill classrooms with teachers. Both sides nearly reached an agreement more than a month ago but that stalled after teachers told Davis they wanted the ability to reject an in-person assignment.

The school system instead reopened for in-person learning under much more modest plans. Hundreds of students are currently learning in what is called CARE classrooms, where they log on to virtual classes from school buildings under the supervision of an adult who is not a teacher. Ferebee has said the school system is planning to bring more students back for in-person learning after the new year.

Under the agreement, the school system will survey teachers about their preferences for in-person or virtual teaching. In the second quarter, which is underway, only teachers who want to return to school buildings would teach in person.

That would change in the third and fourth grading quarters, when DCPS has the ability to require in-person teaching. Teachers who are approved for leave or who receive a medical exemption because they are at higher risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19 will not have to return.

The agreement also says the school system will host walkthroughs of each building with teachers, parents, school nurses, and custodians to make sure safety measures are in place before students return.