Chicago Public Schools cancels classes Friday as fight continues on between union and district

CHICAGO - Chicago Public Schools has canceled classes for all CPS students Friday as the fight rages on between the district and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot asked CTU leadership to come to the bargaining table Thursday after talks failed Wednesday night.

It’s unclear where those negotiations stand right now or how much progress has been made between CPS leaders and CTU officials.

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Teachers are calling for added safety measures in their classrooms while the city says they've put the necessary COVID-19 protocols in place. But there remains a disconnect between both sides.

"Why are we here again when we know that our schools our safe? We put over $100 million of resources into our schools over the last two years," Lightfoot said.

"I just received the PPE that they talked about. I received four masks. That will last me four weeks. We have more than a semester left of the year. I don't have any KN95 masks for more students. I received a minimal amount of cloth masks," one teacher said.

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CTU officials said educators who are locked out of their accounts, will be going door-to-door in various communities to help families sign up for opt-in COVID-19 testing.

Lightfoot said she will not make testing mandatory as the CTU has requested.