Mayor also ditching vaccine requirements for bars, restaurants even as few kids in CPS are vaccinated and vax rates lag in students’ Black and Brown neighborhoods, as well.
CHICAGO, February 22, 2022 — The Chicago Teachers Union issued the statement below after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced loosening mask mandates, except in schools, where the CTU safety agreement continues to provide mask protections to students and staff.
“We’re glad that CPS will continue to honor the safety agreement that our members sacrificed four days of pay last month. This agreement today provides Chicago’s public school communities with the legal right to guarantee safety, despite a right-wing legal attack to remove public health protections.
“Vaccination rates are still not where they should be in many Black and Brown communities and among our students, especially children aged 5-11. Masks remain a critical layer of safety against a virus that continues to infect and cause deaths every day.
We have used our agreement to double the number of children who can be tested for COVID-19 weekly, but we still have a
long way to go in ramping up not only testing but also vaccines for students. This is the most effective way to protect educators, students and their families from COVID-19.
“Governor J.B. Pritzker was right to point out that this city needs to get community infection rates down, get more of our children vaccinated, and protect our youngest learners who still can’t be vaccinated before we consider making masks optional in schools. That is why our union will be vaccinating people at CTU HQ this Thursday, and will continue to advocate for layered safety mitigation that keeps our students in classrooms learning safely and securely.”
