'This Plan Is Dangerous': CTU Speaks Out Monday As Chicago Public Schools Resume In-Person Classes
Pre-kindergarten and some special education classes are set to resume in person.
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Pre-kindergarten and some special education classes are set to resume in person.
The Chicago Public Schools will resume some in-person classes on Monday, but it remained unclear whether teachers will actually show up.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools leaders said the district remains committed to reopening some schools on Monday, and warned that teachers and staff who are required to be in school but aren't will be considered AWOL and not eligible for pay.
Both the teachers union and Chicago Public Schools held press conferences Tuesday morning, in what is becoming a showdown over remote versus in-person learning.
The Chicago Teachers Union is one step closer to a strike vote over what they call the unsafe return to school buildings.
"The fear of losing our jobs is real. Many of us are the sole income earners in our homes, but the threat of this virus is greater than that fear," teacher Lori Torres said.
The Chicago Teachers Union on Sunday said a substantial number of teachers will not be returning to in-person work on Monday on the grounds that schools are unsafe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are highly incentivized to make sure that everyone in the school community – including teachers – are safe," Lightfoot said.
It's decision day. If you're a Chicago Public Schools parent or guardian, there's an important deadline today. It's the last day to decide how your children will be learning in the third quarter of the 2020-21 school year.
Under a plan announced Tuesday, all Chicago Public Schools students will go on with remote learning for the rest of 2020 -- but some students will return in person January, and students from kindergarten through eighth grade will return in February.
"Seventy-two percent of parents in that poll said that community spread of the virus has to be under control before we return to in-person schooling," CTU President Jesse Sharkey said.
The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board said it would be open to reviewing the case again when CPS announces a date for some students to resume in-person classes.
The district said it hired an independent state-certified environmental hygienist to conduct an air quality assessment of all 513 district-run schools in order to ensure they're safe before bringing any students back to classrooms.
The Chicago Teaches Union is accusing Chicago Public Schools officials of illegally refusing to bargain over plans for how and when to safely reopen schools, and the union is seeking an injunction to block CPS from moving forward with any reopening efforts.
CPS said schools will begin second quarter with learning at home with the goal of reopening schools to specified programs.
"The arbitrator, in effect, found that CPS schools are not currently safe from infection by COVID-19," Chicago Teachers Union general counsel Robert Bloch said.
Those workers said not everyone at CPS is wearing masks or practicing safe social distancing.
Just two weeks before Chicago Public Schools begin remote learning both union and CPS insiders say there are still many unresolved issues about how virtual learning will actually work.
The district originally planned a hybrid model of both remote learning and in-class instruction, but now will move to an entirely virtual plan to start the school year.
The district originally planned a hybrid model of both remote learning and in-class instruction, but now will move to an entirely virtual plan to start the school year.
A final decision on whether schools will reopen for in-person classes will not be made until late August, depending on how Chicago is handling the COVID-19 outbreak at the time.
Chicago teachers are making it clear they want to start the school year on time but not on campus.
The union says Chicago Public Schools and the mayor have yet to roll out a concrete plan of how to ensure safety if students and teachers go back into the classroom.
The Chicago Teachers Union doubled up on its demands Wednesday, calling for police out of the schools but also for more protective measures against coronavirus.
"If that kind of tweet, which is clearly racist, had been put forward by a right-wing group, we would rightly be denouncing them, and I think our scorn should be no less because it was put out by the CTU," the mayor said.
Chicago's Colin Rea (7-7) allowed four runs on six hits while striking out five in five innings.
Chase Meidroth went 4 for 4 while he and Andrew Benintendi had a pair of run-scoring singles apiece and Anthony Kay pushed through five innings for his first win in more than a month as the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 4-2.
The Liberty erased a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission on Thursday will decide whether to release a report that led to the resignation of state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) over reported allegations of sexual harassment.
Crown Point police said officers responded to a report of the teen being unresponsive in the hot tub on Wednesday morning.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission on Thursday will decide whether to release a report that led to the resignation of state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) over reported allegations of sexual harassment.
The state Democratic Party is asking Wisconsin's elections commission to allow voters who already returned absentee ballots to cast new ones, after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out of the governor's race and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley rejoined it.
Speaking live on CBS News Chicago's morning news on Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson touted an improving economy and falling crime in the city and credited his administration with the success.
Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey is calling for greater transparency over nongovernmental organizations that receive at least $10,000 in state grants by making them subject to public records and open meetings requests.
Two independent Latino candidates seeking to run for retiring U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's seat in Congress won't appear on the ballot in November.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
The food deserts on Chicago's South and West sides could spread even wider if seven Save A Lot grocery stores close.
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois are both seeking rate increases that would raise monthly bills by as much as $28, while their parent companies seek regulatory approval to merge — a deal a consumer watchdog says would give one company control of nearly all regulated water customers in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
Iowa announced a fall exhibition game against Kansas at the Field of Dreams ballpark, where major and minor league games have been played since 2021.
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is the first film shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras, and Cinemark Seven Bridges in Woodridge is 1 of roughly 30 theaters nationwide equipped to show it that way.
Brenda Fricker won an Academy Award for 1989's "My Left Foot," played the Pigeon Lady in "Home Alone 2" and appeared in "A Time to Kill" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer."
The actor's agent said he was providing more information following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods."
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died Monday at 78, his family says.
Researchers found patients using the name brand versions of the drugs took 17% less long-term sick leave.
Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has the latest in First Alert Weather.
The Grant Park Orchestra accompanied the acrobats and aerialists of Troupe Vertigo for a performance that’s out of this world.
The deal would allow the kingdom to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated the pact will have safeguards.
Chicago police have said that during the robbery of the Irish Nobleman Pub, four men robbed customers at gunpoint and cleared out the cash register and pistol-whipped two victims on May 4, 2024.
Prosecutors said the accused shot through the door at his mother-in-law and officers as he held his partner and daughter hostage.
IDPH reported more than 400 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasite-borne illness that can cause diarrhea and nausea.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission on Thursday will decide whether to release a report that led to the resignation of state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) over reported allegations of sexual harassment.
Crown Point police said officers responded to a report of the teen being unresponsive in the hot tub on Wednesday morning.
Three men have been convicted of a string of violent robberies targeting liquor stores, convenience stores, and bars in Chicago in 2023 and 2024.
Record heat and major air quality issues created by wildfire smoke were key topics as some of the top climate leaders from around the world gathered in Chicago this week for the Aspen Institute's annual climate summit.
Police say a man and a woman were last seen speaking with the victim before the shooting.
Neighbors in the Avalon Park neighborhood said their community has been plagued by squatters, weeds, rats, and water leaks – all thanks to an abandoned home that's been sitting vacant for years.
Chicago has been feeling the heat this week, with highs in the 90s the past five days, but officials are making moves to cool off some of the hottest parts of the city, specifically Chicago Park District fieldhouses where many turn to keep cool.
Gene Rush survived throat cancer, but he didn't survive a trip to the Porter County Jail over 4th of July weekend. His family said jail staff failed to provide lifesaving medical care.
Chicago's Colin Rea (7-7) allowed four runs on six hits while striking out five in five innings.
Chase Meidroth went 4 for 4 while he and Andrew Benintendi had a pair of run-scoring singles apiece and Anthony Kay pushed through five innings for his first win in more than a month as the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 4-2.
The Liberty erased a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes.
The Chicago White Sox on Wednesday were set to honor Black baseball pioneers with the Double Duty Classic at Rate Field.
Iowa announced a fall exhibition game against Kansas at the Field of Dreams ballpark, where major and minor league games have been played since 2021.
Three men have been convicted of a string of violent robberies targeting liquor stores, convenience stores, and bars in Chicago in 2023 and 2024.
Chicago police this week warned of a pattern of robberies in which the thieves approach the victims in public and rip away their gold necklaces.
The Cook County State's Attorney will not be filing charges in a fatal shooting outside a bar in Lincoln Park that resulted in the bar being shut down Tuesday.
A bar on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park community was shut down by Chicago police Tuesday morning, days after a fight broke out at a party in the bar and led to a fatal shooting.
A man was shot and wounded early Tuesday in the Wentworth Gardens public housing development just south of Rate Field.
