Chicago Public Schools returns to class as district makes deal with union

Update (Jan. 11, 2022): Students in Chicago Public Schools returned to class Wednesday, two days after the district reached a deal with the Chicago Teachers Union to adjust the district’s COVID-19 protocols. The deal comes after officials reported insufficient progress on reaching a deal over the past weekend. It includes expanded COVID-19 testing and establishing standards to switch schools to remote learning.

“This agreement is the only modicum of safety that is available for anyone who that steps foot in a Chicago public school, especially in the places in the city where testing is low and where vaccination rates are low,” Stacy Davis Gates, representing the union, said Monday night.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who announced she had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, added that the week of remote learning ” has been very difficult for students and families.”

“Our goal throughout this entire process was to both get our students back to in-person learning as quickly as possible and prevent work disruptions for the rest of the school year,” Mayor Lightfoot said.

Original Story (Jan. 5, 2022): Students in the Chicago Public School District (CPS) did not go to school Wednesday, after the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted to switch over to remote learning Tuesday night. 73% of the union’s members and 88% of the union’s house of delegates approved a resolution to do so. The decision, informed by a rise in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant.

“Let us be clear. The educators of this city want to be in their classrooms with their students. We believe that our city’s classrooms are where our students should be,” CTU said in a Tuesday news release. “Regrettably, the Mayor and her CPS leadership have put the safety and vibrancy of our students and their educators in jeopardy.” Chicago Mayor Laurie Lightfoot fired back at the union decision to go to remote learning. The video above shows her response.

“CTU leadership is compelling its membership to make a decision that will harm hundreds of thousands of Chicago families who rely upon CPS for their daily needs, for their education, for their nutrition, for their safety,” Lightfoot said Tuesday. “That’s real harm.”

In his own statement to CPS families, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said “I understand your frustration and deeply regret this interruption to your child’s learning.” He added, “we want our children back in the classrooms as soon as possible.”

District officials blamed the union for the late cancellation, saying despite safety measures, including a high teacher vaccination rate, “our teachers are not willing to report to work.” The status of instruction for the rest of the week remained in limbo as of Wednesday morning. District leaders said a plan to “continue student learning” would come later Wednesday.

In response to union concerns regarding COVID-19, the district said it has provided 200,000 KN95 masks to teachers. The district said it would allow schools to bring back daily health screening questions for students and building visitors, as well as spell out metrics for closing individual schools.

Union leaders said more safety protocols were needed and that the COVID-19 surge was causing staffing shortages. The district said roughly 82% of its roughly 21,600 teachers reported to work Monday, which is lower than usual.