Will there be school in Chicago on Monday? CPS, teachers union still negotiating

CHICAGO - Will there be school in Chicago on Monday? As of Saturday night, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) was still negotiating with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

On Saturday, the Chicago Teachers Union said their employees were willing to return to schools on Monday and start remote instruction on Wednesday, but they do not want students back in the buildings until Jan. 18.

"We have to have adequate safety measures in place," said Jesse Sharkey, Chicago Teachers Union President. "This is a plan that puts those in place, gives people the assurance and a specific date that allows people to resume first instruction, then in-person schooling."

It's one of several suggestions rejected by CPS.

In a written response, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement: "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."

CPS officials say there is one item in particular that needs further negotiation. District leaders "agree that the transition to remote learning should be made on a school-by-school basis, but we are setting higher thresholds to prevent needlessly sending students, especially vaccinated students, into remote learning. We agree that staff should report to work in person whenever a school has transitioned to remote learning."

Also denied by the district on Saturday were some of the union's demands for increased testing.

CPS officials said they will continue to offer weekly COVID-19 testing to all students and staff, but will not implement the opt-out testing program the union is demanding. Instead, CPS will "provide testing for 10 percent of CPS students each week, but CPS will require that the testing program is implemented with explicit parental consent for each child."

On Saturday, Gov. JB Pritzker also offered 350,000 rapid COVID tests to help CPS get kids back in class.

"I am committed to seeing our kids and teachers safely in classrooms ASAP," said Gov. Pritzker. "I want to thank the CEO of Abbott, Robert Ford, who was committed to helping kids get back to school by providing rapid antigen tests, along with the team at SHIELD Illinois."

The CTU wants their pay reinstated if they make up the days they missed, but CPS is standing firm that teachers who did not show up to their schools the last three days will not be paid.

CPS has been shut down since last Wednesday, when CTU employees refused to work in person.

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Rev. Jesse Jackson stood in support of the union during Saturday’s news conference.

"It’s not about wages, it’s not about money, it’s not a strike really, they walked out based upon fear, the rising tide of omicron that can kill people," said Rev. Jackson.

CPS has agreed to some of the union’s requests. That includes providing KN95 masks for staff and students, allowing schools to reinstate health screenings, and creating contact tracing teams. CPS officials said they are agreeable to "creating targeted teams for contact tracing at the network level, consisting of OSHW staff and school-based staff."

CPS officials have also agreed to utilizing incentives to encourage substitutes to accept assignments, and to permitting staff who are at increased risk for severe illness due to COVID to take an unpaid leave of absence for the third quarter of this school year, if they apply by Jan. 27.

Some parents, on Friday, received messages from their students’ principals saying that classes are canceled on Monday. No district-wide announcement has been made yet, but families can expect further communication from CPS this weekend regarding the status of school on Monday.