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Chicago Kids to Return to School After Teacher’s Union and City Strike a Deal

The agreement should increase testing and contact tracing as well as establish parameters for when rising cases could force schools to go remote.

After a nearly week-long stalemate between the Chicago Teacher’s Union and city officials, students are going back to in-person instruction on Wednesday. The standoff began as the union pushed for remote classes due to the rise of Omicron, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot insisted in-person classes continue. The district’s 340,000 students were subsequently sent home for four days as the city and union tried to reach an agreement. A plan to move forward was finally struck last night, and the union said that it includes increased testing and contact tracing, as well as parameters for when rising cases could force schools to go remote. While Lightfoot praised the decision to resume in-person learning, union president Jesse Sharkey said, “It’s not a perfect agreement, but it’s certainly something we can hold our heads up about.” Chicago Public Schools, per the Chicago Tribune, reported that as of Monday, about 7,500 students and 2,100 adults had either tested positive for COVID or were quarantining after close contact.