By Sophia Tareen -
The Associated Press
Chicago public schools canceled their classes Wednesday after the teachers union voted to switch to remote teaching due to the latest wave of COVID-19, district officials announced Tuesday night.
The move, which affects the third-largest school district in the United States, was taken amid a growing battle over security protocols against the pandemic in schools.
At the moment it is unknown what will happen with the classes the rest of the week.
[Chicago teachers approve the return to the classroom after months of disagreements with the authorities]
The union's action, approved by 73% of its members, called for teaching to be online until “cases drop significantly” or union leaders approve an agreement for safety protocols with the district.
"This decision has been made with great regret and special attention to the safety of students and the community," the group said in a statement.
District authorities have insisted on keeping all centers open for face-to-face classes because remote teaching was devastating to students' learning and mental health. But
the union maintains that security protocols are deficient
and that both teachers and students are vulnerable.
The most contentious issues in the district, which has about 350,000 students, are the parameters that would cause the centers to close.
Authorities proposed guidelines for individual closures, claiming that measures such as the mandatory use of a mask, the availability of vaccines and improved ventilation make schools one of the safest places for children.
But the group has proposed measures to shut down the entire district, citing risks to students and teachers.
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Classes resumed on Monday after a two-week hiatus due to winter break, and COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations reached record levels fueled by the more contagious omicron variant.
School districts across the country face the same problem, with most opting to function normally.
The director of public schools in Chicago, Pedro Martínez, indicated that the buildings will remain open, regardless of the union vote, for administrators, staff and "essential services", but not for teaching.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot noted that teachers who do not show up for work will not receive their salary.
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In response to the union's concerns,
the district said it has provided 200,000 KN95 masks to teachers
, which will allow schools to re-ask the daily questions about health screenings of students and building visitors that were required for the year. past academic years, and which will detail measures to close individual schools.
For example, the district said it would switch to distance learning in an elementary school if 50% of its classrooms had more than half of its students with isolation or quarantine instructions.
The union, which has about 25,000 members, had called for the same measures to close schools in a deal last year, which expired before the new school year began.
Pedro Martínez speaks in a press conference shortly before his appointment as executive director of the Chicago Public Schools, in Chicago, on September 15, 2021. Ashlee Rezin / Chicago Sun-Times via AP
That includes a two-week break in in-person learning across the district if the citywide COVID-19 test positivity rate rises for seven consecutive days, for example.
Union leaders said more security protocols were needed and that increased COVID-19 infections were causing staff shortages.
[President Biden insists on the risks of the omicron variant for those who have not been vaccinated]
The district noted that roughly
82% of its roughly 21,600 teachers showed up for work Monday
, a lower figure 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 district employees are vaccinated, according to the district.
