Education
CPS Outlines Plans for May Day Classes, Field Trips to Labor Rally
Protesters march on Washington Boulevard near Union Park to protest the Trump administration’s policies on May Day, or International Workers’ Day, on May 1, 2025. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)
A week ahead of May Day, Chicago Public Schools officials have outlined how classes will operate and what civic engagement students and staff can participate in on the annual labor holiday.
In a letter to families this week, CPS CEO Macquline King said the district is working to ensure it has enough teachers and staff in its schools next Friday, when many students and educators are expected to join labor rallies as part of an agreement reached with the Chicago Teachers Union.
“CPS is working closely with our principals to monitor this situation,” King wrote in the letter, “and if there is a shortage of staff at your school on May 1, support will be provided by our Network and Central Office teams.”
The district’s agreement with CTU leaders came after the union and some Board of Education members pushed to close schools in recognition of the labor holiday. As part of that deal, CPS has declared May 1 as a day of civic action, allowing educators to “organize across the city, and to engage our students in civic action and solidarity.”
King stressed in the letter that May 1 will be a full day of instruction at all district schools. All classes and after-school activities — including proms, senior nights and athletic events — will be held and student transportation will proceed as normal.
“All students should plan to be in class on this day,” King wrote in the letter. “All staff are expected to be in school to work a full day.”
The CTU’s House of Delegates — its largest governing body — approved a resolution last month seeking “full support” from the Board of Education and Mayor Brandon Johnson to declare May 1, also known as International Workers’ Day, as a “Day of Civic Action.”
But King pushed back against those efforts, demanding that classes not be canceled while stating her belief that “every minute in the classroom is vital for our students.”
“For many school communities in our District,” King wrote in her letter, “we anticipate that May 1 will look no different than any other school day.”
Many students and staff are expected to join an afternoon May Day rally in Union Park, though King said those field trips are voluntary and any student or staff member can opt out and remain in school.
CPS said it’s working to provide bus transportation to schools planning for field trips to local civic engagement events, but if that’s not possible, the city has agreed to support other options, which could include traveling on the CTA.
State law allows students in grades 6 to 12 one excused absence per school year to participate in a “civic event,” CPS said, but parental permission must be provided to their school in advance.
According to the district, students may also choose to participate in demonstrations at their schools and officials will take all necessary steps to “keep everyone safe while allowing students to express their views freely,” King said.
However, King said any student who fails to return to their classroom within the 30 minutes allotted in CPS policy for student demonstrations may receive an unexcused absence.
CPS said it approved a civics curriculum to guide classroom discussion on May 1. Teachers will be able to supplement that curriculum with additional materials, but King said they must be vetted by school leadership and “aligned to CPS policy and the Illinois State Learning Standards.”
The district is also requiring that all learning materials used that day must be “neutral in nature by providing diverse perspectives, and cannot advance any particular viewpoint.”
“It is important to acknowledge there are different perspectives on what May 1 represents,” King told the board during its regular monthly meeting Thursday. “This date may have different historical connotations for some members of our CPS community. As a public school district that welcomes everyone, we need to respect the diversity of views among our students, family and staff.”
The CTU, however, maintains teachers have the right to “exercise your professional judgement” in creating meaningful lessons, units and supplemental materials. President Stacy Davis Gates sent a notice to King outlining concerns over what they claim are the violations by CPS of its May Day agreement.
The union in a letter to its members Thursday said it has 800 students and staff registered to attend a May Day training at the Operation Push headquarters, and expects thousands more students and educators participating in this year’s May Day events compared to last year.
“We are building momentum for a pro-Democracy movement that can win the transformation we need,” CTU leaders said in their letter.
During Thursday’s Board of Education meeting, member Jennifer Custer sought to add an item to the agenda allowing the board to vote on the CPS-CTU agreement. She asked board officials why such memorandums of understanding, particularly ones involving “taxpayer-funded items,” did not require board approval.
Custer was informed by district lawyers, however, that the Open Meetings Act requires 48 hours notice before anything can be added to an agenda for a vote and the matter did not go further.
