Editorial: CTU tells lawmakers it can t strike, then takes steps to strike chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Chicago Teachers Reject Reopening Plan, Refuse to Return to In-person Work
Thousands of Chicago’s public school teachers on Monday refused to return to classrooms, halting the effort to bring back in-person learning to the city.
The move comes after the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) announced over the weekend that its members have voted to defy the Chicago Public School’s (CPS) reopening plans and continue to work virtually out of their online classrooms.
The CPS, which serves over 355,000 students, originally planned to reopen K-8 schools on Feb. 1 for an estimated 71,000 children in those grades who wish to return for in-person instruction. Some 10,000 K-8 teachers and staff members were ordered to return to prepare for the reopening.
Four things to know about Chicago teachers striking over COVID-19
Four things to know about Chicago teachers striking over COVID-19 Most of CPS’s 340,000 students haven’t been in a classroom for 10 months, and a brewing CTU strike could keep them out even longer.
The bill has yet to be signed, but already the Chicago Teachers Union appears to be ready to use expanded powers to strike.
Lawmakers were warned that lame duck session, in the middle of a pandemic, when Chicago Public Schools students hadn’t been in a classroom for 10 months, was not the time to rush through legislation. But still they passed House Bill 2275, repealing restrictions that at least partially hindered the union’s ability to walk out by limiting the subjects that could lead them to call a strike.