Chicago schools, teacher's union debate reopening classrooms | kens5.com

Chicago-Last minute negotiations with the teachers' union on COVID-19 safety measures continued until Sunday, and plans to reopen Chicago schools are still in trouble, which expands the possibility of strikes.

As part of the school district’s education plan, it is estimated that approximately 62,000 students and approximately 10,000 teachers and staff in K-8 will start school on Monday.

, Planning mayor Lori Lightfoot

Will be held. The Chicago Teachers Union has been working hard to return to classrooms in the third largest district in the United States, ignoring orders to precede the students. The union stated that if the school district shuts out teachers, its email and teaching platform

, Teacher

.

Officials and unions at Chicago Public Schools reported the progress of the weekend, and negotiations continued until Sunday. The two sides fought for months on issues such as vaccination, indicators used to measure infection, and special accommodation for problematic employees (such as high-risk family members in the family).

Lightfoot said at a press conference later that evening that the union leaders did not attend the negotiating table on Sunday, adding that she still believed that if they did, the transaction could be completed in a few hours: " CTU, please come back to the table today."

When asked about the report that it was the city and not the union that rejected the city negotiations, Lightfoot replied: "This is nonsense... We are trading here day and night."

Lightfoot sometimes sounds angry, saying that she will “act against teachers who have not returned to work”. She refused to explain the possible situation.

Public health officials say there is growing evidence that children are not the main driver of community transmission. They also said that if safety measures are taken, such as wearing a mask, the transmission rate in schools is still very low. but 

The reopening has happened 

The chief executive of the region, Janice Jackson, watched national television on Sunday, insisting that it is safe to reopen Chicago schools with appropriate agreements. The area needs to wear masks for students and teachers. Thousands of classroom air filters have been purchased, schools have been deeply cleaned, and a voluntary testing program has been launched.

"We think we have to reopen the school. We have been closed for almost a year. As a school system, we are beginning to see certain effects of school closures," Jackson told CBS' "Face the Country."

District officials say that black and Latino students make up the vast majority of the approximately 355,000 student districts, and they have been hit particularly hard since they were completely remote in March last year. Preschool and some special education students 

, But with the escalation of the struggle with the trade unions, he returned to online courses. School district officials did not disclose when the high school students will return.

Union officials said that the safety plan in the area is not deep enough, for example, the use of vaccines for teachers is not prioritized, which exposes teachers to unnecessary risks. The union also argued that not enough students were interested in asking all teachers to return immediately.

Approximately 77,000 pre-kindergarten to 8-year-old students expressed interest in returning to the classroom in the December survey, receiving in-person guidance for two days a week, and remote teaching on other days. But the attendance rate has been low.

CPS said that of the nearly 17,000 qualified preschool and special education students, about 6,500 expressed their willingness to return to their country, but only about 3,200, or 19% of the qualified, participated after the reopening in January.

"We have repeatedly assured us that the CPS reopening plan is related to equity. However, when 80% of families keep their children away from the family, it does not make sense to keep 100% of students out. This is the opposite of fairness. ," the union said in a statement.

The school district stated that if teachers do not attend classes in person, it will constitute an illegal strike. However, the union believes that the region will force a shutdown by blocking teachers.

After a collective bargaining agreement of approximately 25,000 members, 

, Prohibits its members from striking within the terms of the contract, and prohibits district officials from blocking workers.

Illinois 

The latest vaccine phase includes residents and teachers over 65. However, it was not until mid-February that the entire district began to vaccinate teachers. City officials say there are many priority groups, but the dose is insufficient.

You can turn off notifications at any time in your browser settings.