Status of Tuesday CPS Classes Unclear as Showdown With CTU Continues

More than 300,000 thousand of Chicago Public Schools students had classes canceled for a fourth school day Monday as the showdown between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union entered another week. The two sites continued to meet in the evening Monday, and while both sides reported signs of progress, it still remains unclear if classes will resume Tuesday. “Today’s negotiations were productive,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a tweet at approximately 6:50 p.m. “We are waiting to hear back from @CTULocal1. We will update parents, students and members of the public as soon as we are able.” The CTU wants the option to revert to districtwide remote instruction, and most members have refused to teach in-person until there’s an agreement, or the latest COVID-19 spike subsides.  But Chicago leaders reject districtwide remote learning, saying it’s detrimental to students and schools are safe. Instead, CPS opted to cancel classes as a whole two days after students returned from winter break. The district, which deems the fight an “illegal walkout,” has said it will allow more incentives for substitute teachers, provide KN95 masks for all teachers and students, and that Illinois will provide about 350,000 antigen tests. But both sides remained at odds on key issues including COVID-19 metrics that will lead to individual school closures and compensation.  Since the start of the academic year, some individual classrooms have temporarily switched to remote instruction when there are infections. But in rejecting a widescale return to remote learning, city health officials argue most students directed to quarantine because of possible classroom exposure don’t get COVID-19. The district is piloting a “test to stay” program to cut isolation times. The union argues that the measures fall short, especially considering the omicron-fueled surge that has upended the return to work and class. It has also criticized the district for not enrolling enough students in a testing program and an unreliable database of COVID-19 infections.

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