Some teachers have been locked out for nearly a month, as CPS continues to drag on landing agreement with CTU for safe path back to schools.
- 7:00 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 4: Parents press conference will be livestreamed to CTU Facebook page. Reporters, please see your email for registration information.
CHICAGO—CPS is denying thousands of children access to their teachers, simply because educators are standing up for their right to a safe workplace. Parents have been speaking out, both in support of that struggle for an agreement built on safety and equity for school communities, and to demand that their children’s educators be allowed to teach.
Parents whose children’s teachers remain locked out will join CTU officers at a press conference at 7:00 a.m. TODAY, Thursday, February 4, via Zoom to raise their concerns.
Teachers are partners with parents in raising and educating children. But for weeks, those teachers have been locked out. Parents are calling on Governor Pritzker to reach out directly to Mayor Lightfoot and urge her to order her CPS executives to reverse course on lock-outs and bargain in good faith to land an agreement on safely returning to schools.
A bill reinstating the full bargaining rights of the CTU and other unions in CPS schools is making its way to the governor’s desk. Parents are also urging the Governor to sign that bill, because giving educators back their labor rights will help move negotiations and help land an agreement that gives school communities the safety and equity guarantees they need.
Bargaining continued Wednesday between the CTU and CPS. CPS continues to reject using CDC health metrics, refuses to allow educators with medically vulnerable household members to continue to teach remotely — even though most of the District’s Black and Latinx students will remain remote — and refuses to make improvements in remote learning, despite months of pleas from parents, students and educators.
