Chicago Public Schools Forced To Cancel In-Person Classes Amid Surge in COVID-19 Cases; Union Says Students’ Safety Should Be Prioritized

Chicago public schools and the teachers union have been going back and forth between holding in-person or virtual classes for students.

According to reports, the public schools from the Chicago district were forced to postpone face-to-face classes following a sudden surge of COVID-19 cases. However, they initially refused to do so by saying that they have proper regulations in place to combat the virus.

Chicago's teachers' union wants children's safety to be prioritized

But the teacher's union insisted that the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases is alarming. And the health and safety of the students and the entire community should be everyone's top priority.

For their part, the Chicago public schools are saying that the lack of in-person classes was disastrous for the children's learning and mental health.

Chicago public school district believe teachers don't want to work

In their statement, the schools also suggested that some teachers just didn't want to report to work even though there is a relatively high vaccination rate in the schools.

"This decision was made with a heavy heart and a singular focus on student and community safety. 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," they said via the Huffington Post.

Since the decision not to hold in-person classes was only made on Tuesday night, some students still went to school on Monday.

Chicago schools will remain open for COVID-19 testing

Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said that the schools would remain open for administrators, staff, and essential services. However, classes won't occur within the school premises until further notice.

District officials will also offer food service, and the grounds will be available for COVID-19 testing.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot supports Chicago public school district

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot seemingly sided with the Chicago public school district by saying that the cancelation of classes is unnecessary and unacceptable.

In her statement, she said that no one signs up to be a home-schooler at the last minute. She also noted that virtual learning is difficult for the students and for their parents who need to work while tending to their children's needs.

According to the New York Times, Lightfoot urged teachers in Chicago to report to work immediately and suggested that they were considering an illegal work stoppage.

Out of all the people who participated in the voting, 73 percent said they favored pausing in-person classes until stricter measures were imposed.

However, some public schools in other states insist that they won't revert to virtual learning.

New York refuses to cancel in-person classes

New York Mayor Eric Adams said that they would keep schools open and ensure that all the children are in a safe environment.

A mom from New York also said that her son could get the virus outside of school, so the risk is the same regardless of whether he's attending face-to-face or virtual classes, according to NBC Chicago.

The teachers union in New York has also urged the mayor to postpone in-person classes. But he insists that the mask and vaccination mandates are enough to keep children and teachers safe.