Saturday, 06 Feb 2021 08:56 AM MYT
The union representing 28,000 public school educators in the Chicago Public Schools district said Mayor Lori Lightfoot and district leaders “have walked away from the bargaining table” after submitting their latest proposal. Under such a scenario, an outbreak of cases in more than 200 schools “would not be cause to consider reinstitution of remote learning” for the district's 335,000 students, the union said.
The two sides have been negotiating for months over a gradual reopening of schools, with teachers demanding stronger safety protocols to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in classrooms. Yesterday evening, in a letter to parents, Lightfoot and Jackson outlined their final offer. They said agreements were reached earlier this week on health and safety protocols, ventilation in schools, testing, contact tracing and creating health committees.
Lightfoot and Jackson told those students' educators who do not have an approved or pending accommodation to report to classrooms on Monday. They warned that those who do not will be deemed absent without leave and their access to CPS systems will be terminated at the end of the day.