Chicago students back in classrooms with union vote ahead
Chicago students have returned to classrooms after the nation’s third-largest school district canceled five days of classes amid a standoff with the teachers union over COVID-19 safety protocols
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chicago students returned to classrooms Wednesday after the nation's third-largest school district canceled five days of classes amid a standoff with the teachers union over COVID-19 safety protocols.
But members of the Chicago Teachers Union have until Wednesday afternoon to decide whether to approve the agreement or refuse in hopes of restarting talks with the city.
Leaders of the union made the tentative agreement on Monday and have urged members to accept it, acknowledging that teachers didn't get initial demands including widespread coronavirus testing and a districtwide commitment to use remote learning during a surge of COVID-19 infections.
Union President Jesse Sharkey acknowledged on Monday that the agreement “wasn’t a home run" but was “as much as we could get right now."
Chicago's struggles to keep educating children during the omicron variant's surge are similar to those faced by districts across the country, but the latest high-profile fight between teachers and Mayor Lori Lightfoot forced attention from the White House and governor's office.
The union, which voted last week to revert to online instruction, told teachers not to show up to schools starting Jan. 5 while talks took place
Lightfoot, a Democrat, repeatedly refused to agree to remote learning districtwide. She also opposed teachers' demands for a testing program that could randomly test all students unless their parents opted out.