Chicago Shutters Schools For 2nd Day Amid Covid-Driven Standoff With Teachers’ Union

Topline

Chicago Public Schools canceled all in-person and remote classes Thursday, shutting down the nation’s third-largest school district for a second day amid a stalemate between city officials and the teachers’ union over whether to keep schools open during a Covid-19 surge.

Key Facts

The school district announced the second day of closures in a Wednesday evening letter to families, citing a lack of teachers.

Chicago Public Schools returned from winter break on Monday but shut down again on Wednesday, less than one day after 73% of the Chicago Teachers Union’s members voted to stay at home and only teach remotely until January 18, unless the city’s Covid-19 case rates decrease significantly or the city and the union reach an agreement on coronavirus safety policies.

Union officials have blamed the city for the standoff and claimed the school district has failed to roll out testing and safety measures needed to stave off Covid-19 outbreaks, but district officials say the union’s actions — which they framed as an “illegal work stoppage” — are disruptive to parents, unfair for students and unnecessary because schools are safe.

The union has said its members are willing to work remotely until coronavirus cases subside, though the city argues this is an inadequate solution: “We can’t forget about how disruptive that remote process is to individual parents who have to work, who can’t afford the luxury of staying home,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said Tuesday.

Chief Critic

“I will not allow them to take our children hostage,” Lightfoot said in a Wednesday press conference, according to the Chicago Tribune. “Why are we here again, when we know that the safest place for our children is in school?”

Contra

“They have the resources to keep us safe in these buildings, but they’re not putting it to good use,” Michael Smith, a Chicago teacher and union representative, told CNN Wednesday.

What To Watch For

Despite the union’s vote, some teachers and staff still reported to in-person work Wednesday, CPS said in its letter. As a result, certain schools have enough staff to reopen as early as Friday, and other schools may send out remote learning materials.

Key Background

Daily coronavirus infections in Chicago have more than quadrupled in the last month, part of a nationwide surge driven partly by the virus’ fast-moving new omicron variant. This wave of cases — coupled with low Covid-19 vaccination rates for younger children — has spurred calls to temporarily close schools in places like New York City and Philadelphia. Local and federal government officials have pushed back, arguing a return to the remote learning policies that dominated many districts in 2020 and 2021 would harm children’s prospects.