Chicago Teachers Union Rank-And-File Members Ratify Agreement For High School Students To Return To In-Person Learning Monday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Teachers Union announced Sunday that its rank-and-file members have ratified an agreement for high school students to return to in-person learning.
The CTU Rules & Elections Committee certified the ballot results of the high school reopening agreement with an 83 percent vote in favor, the union announced. The agreement calls for high schools to reopen on Monday.
The union said the agreement "secures critical safety standards for returning in-person to high schools, delivers groundbreaking wins for the protection of our students and defends the safety and working conditions of all members in CPS."
Among the provisions is a COVID-19 vaccination program for CPS students in families, which the union said it believes is "the first of its kind in the nation to be negotiated by a union of educators."
CPS and CTU spent several days haggling over COVID safety issues – including high school schedules, accommodations for staff, a plan to allow teachers to stay remote if no students are in class during the week, and vaccinations for high school students and their families.
High school teachers and staff who had started working from school buildings last week had returned to working from home on Wednesday to protest the lack of an agreement.
In-person classes resumed earlier this year for pre-k and elementary students, although all students still have the option of continuing to learn remotely during the pandemic.