Teachers in Tacoma, Wash., defied a court order and continued to strike on Thursday, forcing the school district to cancel classes for some 28,000 students who have been out of school all week.

“The vast majority decided to keep striking,” said teacher’s union spokesman Rich Wood. “They believe strongly in what they are doing; the school board is not listening.”

A Washington state court judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order and ordered that schools reopen immediately after the Tacoma School District took the striking teachers and the Tacoma Education Association union to court.

Wood said it was not clear yet how many teachers continued the protest or what sanctions they could face for keeping the strike going. A meeting of union members and new negotiations between union leadership and the school, both expected to take place Thursday, would determine if the strike would continue, Wood said.

After Wednesday’s ruling by Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff, District Superintendent Art Jarvis said he expected teachers to return to work while the union and school district continued stalled contract negotiations. A hearing had already been scheduled for Friday to ensure the union complies with the judge’s order.

Chushcoff also ordered more hearings be held on the legality of the strike and stalled negotiations. Attorneys for the school district argued that since teachers are state employees they do not have the right to strike.

“The illegal strike has forced the district to close 57 schools, disrupting the lives of approximately 30,000 students and their families,” school district attorney Shannon McMinimee wrote in the lawsuit.

McMinimee argued that if the 2-day-old strike continued indefinitely the protest would harm students, particularly children with disabilities, low-income pupils who rely on meals provided at schools and seniors applying to college next year.

“Students in Tacoma, under the Constitution, are entitled to an education,” she said.

Some 1,900 teachers went on strike this week after talks broke down over a new contract for educators. The teacher’s union argued the school district was unyielding on the issues of class size, teacher pay and how teachers are transferred between schools.

Tyler Firkins, the attorney for the teacher’s union, said the school district was not negotiating in good faith and that if the strike continued, students could make up the missed time later.

“What they are saying is that the school year is immovable, can’t be changed under any circumstances. That is not correct,” Firkins said.

“Whether my child misses a week or two, it’s not going to affect her education,” Firkins said of his daughter, who he said attends classes at a Tacoma public school.

“This is about teaching our kids to stand up to bullies,” said Andy Coons, president of the teacher’s union. “I’m disappointed that we’re not bargaining, that we’re spending the day in court.”

The state judge said the school district’s arguments that students were being harmed by the strike were enough reason to halt the protests, at least until more hearings and negotiations could be held.

Coons said he was waiting to see the language of the order before ending the strike.

Calling himself “a product of the Tacoma school district,” Chushcoff said if anyone didn’t like his ruling, they could blame it on his education.

During Wednesday’s court session, Chushcoff held up photographs of a sign he said had been placed at his home. The printed sign said “Support Tacoma teachers.”

“It’s not appropriate to try and influence or intimidate me,” he said.