“We know that many high school students and families are eager to learn more about their return to in-person instruction,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson said Wednesday, “and it is our goal to provide them with a safe in-person option this school year.”
Remote Learning
Thousands of preschool and special education students will resume in-person learning Wednesday, a day after all Chicago Public Schools students worked from home following a mammoth snowfall across the city.
As a winter storm threatens the Chicago area with a foot or more of snow, Chicago Public Schools has announced it will suspend in-person learning for students Tuesday and only expects essential building staff to report to schools.
Now that Chicago Public Schools has reached an agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union over a safe reopening plan, CPS CEO Janice Jackson said she’s committed to using the framework of that deal to get high school students back into their schools.
Just after midnight Wednesday, the Chicago Teachers Union said 13,681 of its members voted to approve the tentative agreement with Chicago Public Schools, meaning the school reopening plan is now finalized and the city will avoid its second teachers strike in 15 months.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s governing body voted Monday night to ask its members to approve a deal that would allow in-person learning to resume at Chicago Public Schools for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close in March 2020 — and avert the second strike in 15 months.
https://news.wttw.com/2021/02/08/ctu-delegates-ok-deal-allow-person-learning-resumeMembers of the Chicago Teachers Union are reviewing the framework of a deal that would allow in-person learning to resume at Chicago Public Schools for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close in March 2020 — and avert the second strike in 15 months.
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey accused Mayor Lori Lightfoot of cutting off negotiations by issuing a “final offer.” He said the union is “deeply disappointed” by that decision.
“We are deeply disappointed to announce that we still have not reached a deal,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.
Remote learning scheduled again for CPS students Thursday
“We are disappointed to report that at this time, no deal has been reached between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union leadership,” the school district said in a tweet late Wednesday.
Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union negotiators spent Tuesday back at the bargaining table as they attempt to reach an agreement on how to reopen schools safely. Districts and teachers throughout the Chicago area have likewise worked to broker agreements, to varying degrees of success.
Pressure is building on school systems around the U.S. to reopen classrooms to students who have been learning online for nearly a year, pitting politicians against teachers who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Monday was supposed to be the first day back for thousands of Chicago Public Schools students who wanted to return to in-person learning. Instead, it was another day of remote learning — and it’s just the sort of last-minute maneuvering that’s frustrating parents.
Chicago teachers who did not show up for in-person work Monday will not be locked out of their Google education suites in a “gesture of good faith” from city leaders hoping to reach a deal over a safe school reopening plan and avoid a potential strike.
The absence of an agreement on how best to protect teachers and students from COVID-19 sets the stage for a strike or lockout — the second work stoppage in Chicago schools in 15 months.
A plan to reopen Chicago schools remained in limbo as last-minute negotiations over COVID-19 safety measures with the teachers’ union stretched into Sunday, amplifying the possibility of a strike.
