The standoff between the Chicago Teachers Union and city officials stretched into the weekend as the two sides continue to debate whether to return to the classroom amid a Covid-19 surge.
The CTU presented a new proposal to Mayor Lori Lightfoot Saturday that the union said would provide clarity on a return to the classroom, create increased safety and testing protocols and restart the education process for students who have been out of class since Wednesday.The union voted last Tuesday night to teach virtually, saying conditions for in-person learning were unsafe due to the recent surge of Covid-19 fueled by the Omicron variant.
That's what the science supports. We will not relent."Lightfoot told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday that she wanted a deal over the weekend. She reiterated that while officials are willing to shut down individual schools if needed, district-wide remote learning was not an option. City officials have called the standoff a work stoppage.