Chicago schools extend talks with union over in-person class [View all]

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Public Schools leaders extended remote learning Monday for two more days and called for a "cooling-off period” in negotiations with the teachers' union, citing progress but not a full agreement on COVID-19 safety plans for returning to schools.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said in a joint statement that teachers would not be locked out of teaching platforms for failing to show up to schools “as a gesture of good faith,” walking back earlier threats that had prompted union officials to entertain a strike in the nation's third-largest school district.

“We have secured agreement on one other open issue and made substantial progress on a framework that we hope will address the remaining issues,” they said in a statement after negotiations Monday. “We are calling for a 48-hour cooling off period that will hopefully lead to a final resolution on all open issues.”

Talks, which have been ongoing for months, stalled over the weekend, ratcheting up the possibility of a strike as early as Tuesday. Issues have included vaccinations, metrics used to gauge infections and special accommodations for employees who have concerns, like a high-risk family member in their household.

Read more: https://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/chicago-schools-extend-talks-with-union-over-in-person-class/article_5bf56f91-0915-59ff-bffb-fd207ca91352.html
(Northwest Indiana Times)