San Francisco teachers begin first strike in nearly 50 years

Thousands walk out after talks with district failed to reach agreement on wages, healthcare and resources for special needs students

Thousands of public schoolteachers in San Francisco went on strike on Monday, the first public schoolteachers strike in the city in nearly 50 years.

The strike comes after teachers and the district failed to reach an agreement over higher wages, health benefits and more resources for special needs students. The San Francisco Unified School District closed all its 120 schools and said it would offer independent study to some of the district's 50,000 students.