Chicago's teachers' union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have finally reached an agreement on COVID safety to enable children to return ...
Chicago's teachers' union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have finally reached an agreement on COVID safety to enable children to return to schools after four days of classes were canceled.
But fed-up parents face yet another day of having to arrange childcare - as schools will remain closed on Tuesday, to give teachers time to 'plan' for Wednesday's reopening.
The plan will both lead to a return to in-person learning and set conditions by which any individual school would go back to learning remotely that would be determined by staff absences, students in quarantine or a high community transmission of COVID.
Further details on those exact metrics have yet to be shared.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was pleased to return to in-person learning and thank parents for supporting her.
'We can never forget the impact on the lives of our children and their families. They must always be front and center,' Lightfoot said. 'Every decision has to be made with them at the forefront.'
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke in a press conference late Monday night hailing the new deal
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey was not entirely approving of the deal but said it was enough to get teachers back to school
CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates hailed the agreement as 'the only modicum of safety' in schools but called Lightfoot 'unfit to lead'
She struck a conciliatory tone after previously branding the strikes 'unlawful,' and refusing to pay teachers who'd refused to show up in school after claiming the latest COVID surge was putting their health at risk.
Meanwhile, CTU leaders said Monday night hailed new measures to increase testing for COVID in schools and secured new KN95 masks for staff and students.
However, they were disappointed with the inability to get opt-out testing and some other aspects of the agreement.
Currently, students aren't forced to test, and can opt-in to it. The union wants testing to become mandatory, with students forced to opt-out of it if they wish to avoid being swabbed.
'It was not an agreement that had everything, it's not a perfect agreement, but it's certainly something we can hold our heads up about, partly because it was so difficult to get,' controversial CTU President Jesse Sharkey, who had called Lightfoot 'relentlessly stupid' previously, said.
CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates hailed the agreement as 'the only modicum of safety' in schools but called Lightfoot 'unfit to lead.'
'The Chicago Teachers' Union once again, in this pandemic, has had to create the infrastructure for safety and accountability in our school community,' Davis Gates said. 'This is the second January in a row where we have had to be held hostage, quite frankly, in hostage negotiations.'
She added: 'What parents don't know is that without the workers, the school workers in our building, you don't have anything. This mayor is unfit to lead this city. And she is on a one-woman kamikaze mission to destroy our public schools.'
Sharkey made the harsh 'relentlessly stupid' comment during a press conference Monday morning nearly a week after the union made the highly-criticized last minute decision to cancel classes and push for remote learning as COVID continues to spike.
The avowed socialist union leader, who has led the CTU since 2014, has been branded a hypocrite for driving a Tesla and living on a $1.5 million estate.
'We feel like we're at a point where we don't have enough at the table to be able to go back to the people who, frankly, have sacrificed a lot at this point, and confidently say, 'This is something that can help us ensure our safety,' Sharkey said Monday.
'The mayor is being relentless, but she's being relentlessly stupid, she is being relentlessly stubborn.'
The teacher's union and city officials including the mayor have been entangled in disagreements since the union voted to cancel in-person classes at 11pm Tuesday and push for remote learning over COVID fears.
Students in the city have missed four days of instruction and now face a fifth as no agreement has be reached to get them bac to school for Tuesday.
Chicago Teacher's Union president Jason Sharkey called Mayor Lightfoot 'relentlessly stupid' in a press conference on Monday
Chicago public schools have been cancelled for four days as the union and city continue to argue on the safest way to continue instruction (Pictured: A sign taped to the front door of Pulaski International School of Chicago on Tuesday, January 5)
Starkey said that an agreement is being held up by the mayor.
'We have said all along there are three elements to a potential settlement: The question of remote instruction, the question of widespread testing and the question of a metric that would allow individual schools to flip to remote if there is an outbreak at the school,' he continued.
'We have said all along there are three elements to a potential settlement: The question of remote instruction, the question of widespread testing and the question of a metric that would allow individual schools to flip to remote if there is an outbreak at the school,' he continued.
Lightfoot and other city officials including Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady and Chicago Schools CEO Pedro Martinez have continued to insist that in-person classes remain the best option for students but have agreed to negotiate with the union.
Lightfoot's latest update struck a more considered tone than last week's condemnation of teachers, which saw her brand their behavior 'unlawful.'
'Out of fairness and consideration for parents who need to prepare, classes will be canceled again Monday,' Lightfoot tweeted on Sunday. 'Although we have been negotiating hard throughout the day, there has not been sufficient progress for us to predict a return to class tomorrow.'
Parents have slammed the socialist leader of the CTU as he continues to defend the last minute decision to shutter schools last week by claiming 'going in puts students and families at risk.'
Just 400 positive COVID cases - about 70% students and 30% staff- were reported Tuesday morning after classes returned following the winter break.
Like all other large cities in the US, Chicago has been hit by a recent surge of COVID cases, blamed on the super-infectious Omicron variant.
A total of 5,260 new cases were recorded across the city on Friday, the most recent data available, with just over one in five COVID tests coming back positive.
Meanwhile, 90 people were in hospital on Friday - a 16% drop on the week before - and 11 people died of COVID on the same day.
Vaccination rates of people who have had at least one dose of COVID vaccine now sit at 72.3%.
Chicago Public Schools is the third-largest school district in the nation serving 350,000 students (Pictured: A sign is displayed on the front of the headquarters for Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday, January 5)
Union bosses have noted soaring cases among teachers to justify the ongoing closures
Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady insisted that the safety protocols set in place for Chicago Public Schools were sufficient to protect the children and staff
Sharkey held a Zoom press conference on Wednesday to defend the union's vote.
'Right now going into schools puts us at risk, puts our students and families at risk. We're in the middle of a dangerous surge. We don't think bars should be open,' he said.
He claimed that the city's safety plan to return to in-person learning was 'fairly inadequate.' Parents were quick to criticize Sharkey and the union.
'You're using our children as leverage. Parents are the ones to decide if it's safe to send our children to school. This is a disgraceful power move,' one said on Twitter in response to his press conference.
'If I got to vote to stay home in my warm house you bet your a** I would,' another said.
'Every single one of the teachers who don't show for in class teaching should immediately be fired,' quipped another.
'So if you're a fully vaccinated and boosted teacher, and wear a mask all day, it's not safe to go to work? Just tying to understand for the all teachers outside of Chicago that are back at school. Can you scientifically describe your risk vs outside the City's border?' another asked.
President Trump slammed the teachers too, saying: 'What is happening in Chicago with all the school closures is devastating.
'Democrats are congregating in mass tomorrow to fan the flames of a divide that THEY created, while our kids sit at home watching their futures vanish. It must stop.
'Educate our children in person or give every dollar spent on education directly to the students so they can get out of these failing government schools!
The union's late night decision on Tuesday to close schools caused utter chaos for parents on Wednesday.
Lightfoot warned that teachers who failed to turn up would be docked pay after the Chicago Teachers Union said 73% of its members endorsed the action.
Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady held a news conference on Tuesday to disspel claims that chidden were in danger by being at school.
'One of the things I'm hearing the most misinformation about is that Chicago hospitals are filling up with children, that many Chicago children are dying of COVID,' Arwady said.
'That is being driven by unvaccinated adults. Child COVID hospitalizations remain very rare.
'Across the whole city, approximately 550,000 children, we are averaging just seven COVID hospitalizations a day right now for children aged zero to 17.
'If you're vaccinated, if you're child is vaccinated, this is behaving like the flu and we don't close school districts, especially for extended periods of time, for the flu.'
Lightfoot said: 'If we pause, what do we say to those parents who can't afford to hire somebody to come in and watch their kids, who can't ship their kids off to some other place, what do we say to those students who are already struggling?'
'We need to lean in to the science and the data and not push that to the side and give in to fear-mongering and hysteria,' she insisted.
The mayor also said she feared the delayed reopening would stretch on past the January 18 date planned by CTU leaders.
The CTU demanded that students and staff members provided a negative COVID test result before returning to campus.
The union also wants daily health questionnaires to be reinstated, free masks for all staff and students and wants schools to shift to remote learning if 20% or more of staff is in isolation or quarantine.
The head of Chicago Public Schools, Pedro Martinez, is distributing 200,000 KN95 masks for teachers and staff, requiring indoor mask-wearing in schools and weekly testing is mandatory for unvaccinated staff members and optional for students.
Martinez has bent over backwards to meet the union's demands.
The mayor said that Sharkey denied Martinez's request to delay the vote in order to allow officials to present an updated safety plan for returning in person.
Sharkey did not respond to DailyMail.com for comment on the on-going situation.
'The worst thing we can do is to shut the entire system down. What we need to be focused on is working together,' Lightfoot said.
'What I'd love to see CTU do is not force an illegal work stoppage. What I'd love to see them do is work hand-in-glove with us to get kids and their families vaccinated.'
Martinez has proposed that a school would move to virtual instruction if at least 40% of its classroom teachers are absent for two consecutive days due to COVID and schools would resume in-person instruction after five to 10 school days .
He is also restoring health screeners and temperature checks to allow entry into buildings.
However, these measures were insufficient for the teachers' union and they voted to stay at home.
'This decision was made with a heavy heart and a singular focus on student and community safety,' the union said in a statement.
However, district officials blamed the union for the late cancellation, saying despite safety measures, including a high teacher vaccination rate, 'our teachers are not willing to report to work.'
'We are deeply concerned about this decision but even more concerned about its impact on the health, safety, and well-being of our students and families,' the district said in a statement.
The status of instruction for the rest of the week remained in limbo, while district leaders said a plan to 'continue student learning' would come later Wednesday.
A fierce battle took place last January over similar issues causing a bumpy start to the district's return to in-person instruction after first going remote in March 2020.
District officials said schools would offer food service from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and COVID testing would continue as scheduled, but afterschool activities would be canceled. The district also provided a list of city sites with available daycare.
The district said roughly 82% of its roughly 21,600 teachers reported to work Monday, which was lower than usual, but that classes were covered by substitute teachers and other staff.
District officials said student attendance for the week was not yet available.
Roughly 100,000 students and 91% of its more than 47,000 staff in the district are vaccinated, according to the district.
A major concern of remote learning is how it impacts level of and access to education, mental health, and social learning. Students with learning disabilities and special needs are especially at a disadvantage when schools revert to remote learning.
Mother Tiffany Tassone voiced her frustration about her children missing out on their education and accused the teachers of the CTU of being 'selfish.'
'Childcare is not my problem!!! It's education for my kids that is the problem!! You all had 2 weeks to decide to close and do remote, but NO you chose to WAIT until 2 days AFTER kids come back , to close??? What was the actual point of that? THESE KIDS NEED TO BE IN SCHOOL. TEACHERS YOUR JOB IS TO GIVE OUR CHILDREN THE EDUCATION THEY NEED... THATS WHAT YOU SIGNED UP FOR.. TO TEACH AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!
'NOW CTU.. YOU'RE JUST SELFISHHHHHH. ITS NOT ABOUT THE KIDS ANYMORE . ITS REALLY NOT,' she wrote on Facebook.
She explained that her young son has severe ADHD and has difficulties focusing with remote learning and is unable to complete a full day of classes when he is at home.
'So what? My son misses subjects, and just fails?' Tassone wondered.
CPS parent La Trice Twin McFadden is also frustrated with the union's instance the school system goes fully remote.
'Please give us an option! Let us parents choose for our children if either in person learning or remote learning is better for our children,' she pleaded on Facebook.
But some parents were left scrambling to decide how to care for their children after the union's last minute announcement.
Ariana Miche understands wanting to protect children from contracting COVID-19 'but some kids don't work well remotely' and noted that 'some grades are crucial for kids.'
'We need to make alternate plans for her,' parent Vinoth Alphonse told CBS Chicago.
'I would obviously prefer it to be in person,' said parent Praveen Sivaraman. 'That is always good for the kids.'
Lightfoot noted that the last time CPS went to all-remote learning 'we saw was 100,000 children – particularly Black and Brown children – that were disconnected from the system and learning.' She also notes that the school system saw a three-fold increase in failing grades among elementary school kids during remote learning.
The mayor added that all-remote learning also resulted cause the students 'social-emotional trauma,' after being separated from social interactions and connections that 'keep them healthy mentally and emotionally.'
'The worst ting that we can do is shut the entire system down,' Lightfoot said.
Sharkey has faced criticism before for his socialist views and contradictory lavish lifestyle
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez refused to agree to remote learning instead opting to cancel instruction for four days in a row
High Jump, a group that provides academic enrichment, counseling and support to students of diverse backgrounds, found that 40% of CPS middle schoolers do not have consistent access to a device (tablet, computer) and nearly 30% do not have high speed Internet at home.
The union boss at the center of Chicago's school shutdown firestorm is a longtime labor activist and supporter of socialism, but critics say his lifestyle is more akin to that of the wealthiest 1 percent.
Living in an expansive $1.5 million estate on multiple adjoining lots in Rogers Park, Sharkey is said to drive a Tesla and is married to the daughter of Royal Caribbean Cruises' recently resigned CEO.
Sharkey's lavish lifestyle has drawn criticism from his opponents, and speculation that his wealthy and decidedly capitalist father-in-law is helping to bankroll his family.
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