Another Day Of Remote Learning Thursday As CPS, Teachers Union Continue Negotiations
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Public Schools announced that all students will be learning remotely from home again on Thursday, as the Chicago Teachers Union has directed staff to remain at home.
In a tweet, CPS said: "CTU leadership has directed staff to remain home tomorrow. Due to the union's directive, we are unable to guarantee sufficient staffing to safely cover in-person learning, and parents should not send their children to school. Remote learning will continue tomorrow, Thurs., 1/28."
CPS and the CTU spent Wednesday negotiating again about a safe return to the classroom. But no agreement was reached.
A union spokesperson had earlier said if a safety agreement about a return to classrooms was not reached Wednesday, the union would tell all teachers to stay remote Thursday.
That includes pre-K and cluster teachers, who've been back in the classrooms since the beginning of the month, and K-8 teachers who otherwise would be going back. CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov asked whether teachers would be locked out of their Google classrooms twice and Mayor Lori Lightfoot didn't answer.
"I don't think we should be talking about lockouts. What we should be talking about is how do we get a deal done, so that we can move forward," Lightfoot said.
If they are locked out, it means no school for anyone, remote or otherwise. Chicago Teachers Union leaders said that would or could, in effect, force a strike of the entire teaching staff.
The issue on whether teachers and K through 8 teachers should return to in-person learning is an emotional and divisive one. Bridgett White has two CPS grade schoolers and has opted to keep them remote. But she's disheartened by the CPS/CTU impasse.
"That's not right to me. There's this constant barking in between and we're in the middle," White said.
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