Classes canceled for Chicago Public Schools for third day; bargaining sessions between district, CTU continue
CHICAGO - For the third straight day, Chicago Public Schools officials cancel classes as bargaining sessions between district leaders and the Chicago Teachers Union fail, with parents and students remaining in limbo.
Bargaining sessions started at noon Thursday, lasting into the evening.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez called those negotiations "productive from our perspective."
Still, there is no resolution heading into Friday, Jan. 7. Once again, roughly 290,000 CPS students in non-charter schools will be forced out of class as district and union officials clash.
"I’m trying to do my part, my role as a teacher," said Joseph Ocol, Ella Flagg Young Elementary School teacher. "I’m hoping this can be resolved soon."
Ocol, who is currently battling cancer, has been showing up for work in-person, despite an empty classroom.
"I’m hoping the union will also realize that there is this authority they need to respect, they cannot just be dictating everything as if they’re running the show," said Ocol.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez announced "a small number of schools may offer in-person activities if enough staff are reporting to work" on Friday, but urged parents not to send their children, unless they hear otherwise from their principal.
As union leaders continue to push for increased COVID-19 safety measures, the CTU, on Thursday evening, hosted a Facebook live with local healthcare workers.
Meantime, teachers like Keyonna Payton from Park Manor Elementary School said she would like to see increased testing among students.
"For a student to be able to enter the building without a negative COVID test is not fair. It’s not fair to that child, and it’s not fair to everyone else in that building that will interact with that child," said Payton.
But Mayor Lightfoot, on Wednesday, said she would not move to make testing mandatory.
"Very, very disappointing. I was completely depleted, mentally, emotionally," said Payton. "My 6-year-old is signed up for testing at her school, she’s a CPS student, she tests herself. So for the mayor to say she’s not going to force a ‘quasi-medical procedure’ on parents, it didn’t make any sense to me."
After-school activities are also in jeopardy as a result of this standoff.
According to CPS, more than 700 games were canceled this week.