Chicago School District Delays Class Start After Teachers Union Vote To Continue Remote Work

Moments after the teachers’ union vote announced on Sunday, Chicago public schools said they had accepted a union request to extend the start date for teachers and staff to Wednesday, according to a statement on the Twitter account verified by the CPS.

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) said in a press release on Sunday that 86% of its 20,000 members participated in the vote, with 71% voting “in favor of continuing remote work.”

Last week, the CPS warned that a decision not to go to school would be an “illegal” strike, CNN reported.

Educators will continue to work remotely and “if we are locked out by the mayor and the CPS, then the choice to strike is theirs, not ours,” the union said on Sunday.

Chicago K-8 students are still scheduled to return to class on February 1, according to CPS.

CPS said students at more than 130 private and parish schools and more than 2,000 preschool learning centers have been safely taking lessons since the fall, and the district must do the same for its students.

“We have seen grades, attendance and enrollment drop significantly for many of our students in recent months, and the impact has been felt most by our black and Latinx students,” the statement said.

The union’s statement stressed that its members must stand united to ensure the safety of teachers and students.

“Remember, we are not negotiating class size, benefits or staffing; we are negotiating for minimal risk of COVID-19 infection and minimal risk of death,” the statement said.

Officials in Illinois and Chicago announced last week that teachers and school staff would be among those eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Phase 1b of the rollout, which is expected to begin on Monday, CNN reported.

CTU continues to call for a later start date for in-person instruction or a “phased” approach to returning to school. “Vaccinations should be linked to staffing,” the CTU statement said.