CPS, Lightfoot respond to latest CTU proposals: 'We will not relent'
CHICAGO - Chicago Public Schools released a joint statement with Mayor Lori Lightfoot in response to the latest Chicago Teachers Union proposals for more COVID-19 protocols in school.
"CTU leadership, you’re not listening. The best, safest place for kids to be is in school. Students need to be back in person as soon as possible. That’s what parents want. That’s what the science supports. We will not relent," the statement reads.
CTU held a press conference Saturday afternoon introducing new proposals that would have CPS teachers back in schools next week, handing out device, sign kids up for COVID-19 testing and begin remote education Wednesday through Friday.
The Teachers Union is proposing that classes can resume on Jan. 18 in-person, unless the Chicago Department of Public Health or the State of Illinois determine that public health conditions are not safe to return.
The CTU proposes that if more than 25 % of staff are absent due to COVID-19, individual schools should revert to temporary virtual learning. Individual schools would also pause in-person learning when 30 percent or more of elementary school children, and more than 25 percent of high school students are out with COVID-19.