Chicago Public Schools Has Canceled Classes As A Result Of The Union's Support For Online Learning

Due to the latest Covid-19 surge, the teachers union voted to move to remote learning, and classes in Chicago's public schools would be canceled on Wednesday, district officials stated late Tuesday.

The decision in the nation's third-largest school district comes amid a heated debate regarding school pandemic safety practices. For the rest of the week, the status of instruction remained uncertain. The union's action, which received 73 percent of members' approval, called for remote instruction until "cases considerably subside" or union executives establish an agreement with the district on safety protocols.

In a statement, the union added, "This decision was made with a heavy and sole focus on student and community safety."

Officials with the Chicago Public Schools have insisted on keeping all schools open for in-person classes, claiming that remote instruction has proven detrimental to children's academic and emotional health during the pandemic. The union, on the other hand, said that the district's safety standards are inadequate, leaving both teachers and pupils vulnerable.

Metrics that would prompt school closures are a contentious subject in the nearly 350,000-student system. The district recommended recommendations for specific school closures, claiming that safety measures like as mandatory masks, vaccine availability, and enhanced ventilation put schools among the safest locations for children to be. However, citing threats to students and staff, the union has recommended metrics for district-wide closure.

Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations fuelled by the omicron version were at record levels when students returned to class Monday after a two-week holiday vacation. School districts across the country have faced the same problem, with the majority preferring to remain open.

While the union labeled the vote a "walkout" and a "illegal work stoppage," district officials called it a "walkout" and "illegal work stoppage." Last January, a bitter debate over identical issues erupted, causing a rocky start to the district's return to in-person instruction after going remote in March 2020.

Schools CEO Pedro Martinez indicated that regardless of the union vote, schools would stay open for administrators, employees, and "necessary services," but not for student education. Lori Lightfoot, the mayor, also expressed her support for teachers.