Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D). (Getty Images)
(CNS News) — In a Feb. 1 interview with MSNBC, the Democrat mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, announced that her plans to reopen Chicago’s public schools will continue, as will her negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) because “our schools are safe” and kids need to be in the classroom.
“We and CPS [Chicago Public Schools] kept fighting for our children and being a voice and advocate for those parents who just want options,” said Lightfoot in a separate interview. “And in this day, the CTU leadership has failed and left us with a big bag of nothing.”
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In a letter calling for their union members to take action, the CTU stated, “Our members who’ve been called back on January 4 have the right to decline unsafe work. Let CPS [Chicago Public Schools] know that we will exercise our rights — and that we are willing to take collective workplace actions to defend ourselves and secure our right to safe working conditions — by signing this letter.”
“CPS will threaten us for exercising our rights — and to protect ourselves from these risks, we must all stand together,” said the letter.
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The teacher’s union list of demands includes,
— “Below 3% positivity [COVID] to reopen district; close schools based on neighborhood transmission rates.”
— “Offer all staff opportunity to be fully vaccinated before required to return in-person.”
President Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, has not been clear about the administration’s stance on reopening the public schools, according to the The Wall Street Journal.
The paper’s editorial board reported on Feb. 2, “Asked last week about a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study finding that schools can safely reopen if they follow precautions, White House press secretary Jen Psaki wobbled: ‘The CDC hasn’t issued the formal recommendations or requirements on how all schools across the country can open. They did a report, as they do reports frequently, based on an area in Wisconsin. Important, interesting data, no doubt. But that is not reflective of every school district and community in the country.’”
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The WSJ editorial board translated that to mean: “Translation: If Republicans want to reopen schools in their towns, fine. But we’re not going to ask unions in big urban school districts to do so. As for Mr. Biden’s virus North Star Anthony Fauci, ‘I would back the CDC recommendations, because that is really based on data,” the National Institutes of Health leader said. “We need to try and get the children back to school.’”
Tony Kinnett, an educator and the owner of the education publication, The Chalkboard Review, answered some questions regarding the decision to reopen schools for CNS News.
CNS News: “Do you think the decision to reopen schools is a good one? How will students benefit from a transition back to in-person learning?”
Kinnett: “Absolutely. The latest studies from the CDC indicate that both students and teachers are safe as long as precautions are taken. Furthermore, evidence has been lackluster that schools act as ‘super spreaders’ in any capacity.”
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Kinnett: “Both academically and psychologically, students will benefit from being in schools once again. Student engagement in lessons has plummeted to horrendous levels since beginning online-learning, and their retention based on our assessments has proven abysmal. The colossal upswing in mental health issues is reason enough for bringing students back into classrooms. Of course, we’re aware of the epidemic of suicides that drove Las Vegas to reopen schools. God forbid a similar event grips Chicago students.”
CNS News: “What is your opinion on the Chicago Teachers Union refusing to return to the classroom — do you believe they are acting with students’ best interests?”
Kinnett: “In my opinion, the Chicago Teachers’ Union is showing the same level of selfishness that many public school unions do–which is to say that their need for attention, for comfort, and for money at the expense of their communities is no new story.”
Kinnett: “The best interest of the students is clearly to resume in-person learning for the sake of their academic and psychological well-being. The best interests of their families is to return to work full-time to provide financial means to live in these cities. And the best interests of the local economy is to see a functional return to services and provision. The Chicago Teachers’ Union is too busy recording dances, and preening over their ability to collectively strike and bring a district to its knees, to notice the horrible effects they’re leaving in their wake.”
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Mailee Smith, director of labor policy at the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute, said on Jan. 27, “After months of on-going discussion between CPS and the CTU on the best way to safely open school buildings, the union is encouraging teachers not to return to classrooms. With safety measures in place and leading health officials telling us we can safely transition back to in-person instruction, any further delays will only serve to hurt students and their education.”
