The standoff between the Chicago Teachers Union and city officials stretched into the weekend as the two sides continue to debate whether to return to the classroom amid a Covid-19 surge.
The CTU presented a new proposal to Mayor Lori Lightfoot Saturday that the union said would provide clarity on a return to the classroom, create increased safety and testing protocols and restart the education process for students who have been out of class since Wednesday. The union voted last Tuesday night to teach virtually, saying conditions for in-person learning were unsafe due to the recent surge of Covid-19 fueled by the Omicron variant. The union cited inadequate staffing and testing as new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations among children reached record highs. Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which serves about 340,000 students, responded by canceling school altogether, saying there was no way to send kids to class without knowing if teachers would be there and that schools are safe, insisting children needed to return to classrooms. Along with a series of Covid-19 mitigation measures, the CTU’s latest proposal calls for a resumption of in-person work for union members beginning Monday, with virtual learning beginning for CPS students on Wednesday, according to the proposal.
