Chicago Students Walk Out in Protest for COVID Safety
Classes were canceled for five days while the CTU and Mayor Lori Lightfoot reached an agreement to do virtual learning on a case-by-case basis instead of district-wide.
(Photo: @catlynsavado via Instagram)
Chicago — Several hundred students rallied outside of Chicago Public Schools headquarters Friday calling for improved COVID-19 safety protocols and the option to return to virtual instruction.
The school district, which is the third largest in the country, returned to in-person learning for the fall semester, but during the holiday break discussions between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) were tense as COVID cases spiked and there was no talks of students and teachers having the option to return in January to remote status.
Instead, classes were canceled for five days while the CTU and Mayor Lori Lightfoot reached an agreement to do virtual learning on a case-by-case basis instead of district-wide. Lightfoot had refused to go to remote learning.