AUSTIN, Texas -- As cases of the novel coronavirus increase in Central Texas and Austin-Travis County teeters on the edge of Stage 5 of Austin Public Health’s risk-based chart, pressure is mounting for school systems to ready in-person learning for the fall.

The Austin Independent School District is on track to reopen schools August 18, but Education Austin, the union that represents 3,000 teachers and staff members, wants to put the brakes on that.

In a video conference this week, union leaders, citing health and safety concerns, called on teachers and staff members to stay home. A petition on the union’s website calls for AISD to hold all lessons virtually for the first nine weeks of the school year.

The pressure on school districts to reopen is considerable. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withhold federal funding if schools don’t reopen in the fall.

The Texas Education Association (TEA) on Tuesday released a nine-page guidance for reopening that stipulates safeguards including the wearing of facial coverings and six feet of distance between individuals on campus.

As it appears the decision to send kids back to school will be up to parents, Spectrum News gathered some feedback via a poll on Twitter.

When Austin parents were asked if they would prefer to keep kids home or send them back to school, 63.9 percent indicated they would prefer to stick with virtual learning for now.

San Antonio parents were less divided. Of those polled, 81.3 percent indicated they would prefer to keep kids home at the beginning of the school year.

On Wednesday, July 8, Texas reported 9,797 new cases of COVID-19, 98 new deaths attributed to the virus, and 9,610 total hospitalizations, which was up more than 300 from the day prior.