Standoff between Chicago Public Schools and teachers continues

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 13: An empty classroom is seen at Hollywood High School on August 13, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

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UPDATED 5:30 PM PT – Monday, February 1, 2021

Tensions remain high between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union. On Monday, CPS officials issued a final warning to staff, saying if teachers refused to comply, they would lose access to their remote teaching tools.

Thanks to the advocacy of our members and school communities, Mayor Lightfoot and CPS have agreed to continue bargaining and will not lock any educators out of their teaching platforms.

— ChicagoTeachersUnion (@CTULocal1) February 1, 2021

In-person learning is set to begin on Tuesday for roughly 65 thousand K-8 students. This news came a day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatened to take action against those teachers who did not show up for their classes.

CPS & CTU leadership made significant progress towards reopening schools in our discussions today. To ensure we have time to productively continue, in-person instruction will be delayed until Wed. 2/3, we must ask parents to continue keeping your children home. pic.twitter.com/YwjlKbLZxB

— Chicago Public Schools (@ChiPubSchools) February 2, 2021

Some parents are also pushing for their children to get back to school.

“Parents are tired of being caught in the middle,” Joseph Williams, a parent to one of the students said. “We feel like that we are ignored by CPS and our children are being used as bargaining chips.”

Some fear the latest actions by officials could potentially trigger a teachers strike in the coming days.

This is not about wins or losses. This is about safety in a pandemic. And our members’ dedication, support from students and families, and support from all those who share our values and our cause, have us on a path toward safety. Onward. #Solidarity

— ChicagoTeachersUnion (@CTULocal1) February 1, 2021

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