The following resolution was passed by the House of Delegates at its April 7, 2021 monthly meeting.
WHEREAS the current reopening agreement between Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) fails to provide equitable preparation time and safety provisions for pre-K, special education, itinerant, and clinician educators, and
WHEREAS pre-K, special education, itinerant, and clinician educators have been compelled to report to buildings since January without the time, training, and planning opportunities to prepare for remote and in-person simultaneous instruction that CPS has provided for all other elementary education levels, and
WHEREAS pre-K and cluster educators have been mandated by CPS to work in buildings with students five (5) days a week without the Wednesday “enhanced” cleaning CPS has arranged for all other staff and students in the district, as well as without CPS acknowledgement of the intensive needs for sanitizing of learning and personal care materials required for pre-K and cluster students, and
WHEREAS itinerant educators and clinicians have been mandated to work in buildings five (5) days a week — even on Wednesdays when K–8 students are remote, and IEP/504 meetings remain remote, without adequately established work spaces, and
WHEREAS itinerant educators and clinicians are mandated to work in multiple buildings with multiple pods of students and collaborate with multiple educators, thereby increasing potential COVID-19 exposure for all parties, and
WHEREAS contact tracing issues exist, particularly for itinerant educators and clinicians, including not informing these members of exposure to COVID-19, and has been formally brought to CPS’ attention in Clinician PPC and CTU/CPS Joint Special Education Committee meetings multiple times without a formal resolution to date, and
WHEREAS due to the disparate and unequal treatment to those members, as well as strenuous and unsafe working conditions, there has been an exodus of special education, pre-K, itinerant, and clinician educators from the district, and
WHEREAS CPS has stalled/refused to bargain within the CTU/CPS Joint Special Education Committee as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement over these issues, therefore, be it
RESOLVED that CTU provides PPC and organizing guidance to advocate for these matters at the local level; and
RESOLVED that CTU will make all members aware of these matters and mobilize members to advocate for the above stated needs at the local level and districtwide; and
RESOLVED CTU will empower the Joint Committee to do the work outlined in our collective bargaining agreement; and be it finally
RESOLVED that CTU prioritizes these matters in strategic bargaining with CPS, communicates/collaborates with rank and file stakeholders from the Joint Committee and includes them in bargaining regarding these matters as well as other matters pertaining to them.
