CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There has been a lot more talk amid the standoff between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools over getting kids back to class amid a surge in COVID cases, but it appears the sides are no closer to a resolution.
CTU officials gathered at their Westside headquarters to announce their latest proposal. But before they were even finished speaking on a wintry afternoon, Mayor Lori Lightfoot shot it down.
Under the new proposal, teachers would return to classrooms starting Monday, not for formal classes, but to distribute laptops and help students sign up for a weekly, school-based COVID-19 testing program. Remote learning would begin Wednesday with in-person classes resuming Jan. 18, depending on case numbers.
CTU is also requesting "high-quality" masks for both students and staff and for the administration to allow its members to participate in contact tracing.
"We understand and we want students back at school and we need additional safety measures," said Jennifer Johnson, Chief of staff for CTU.
"And so this proposal would allow our members to come back into the school buildings next week to do device distribution and most importantly, to help students and families sign up for testing and vaccination opportunities."
CTU Political Director Stacy Davis Gates believes this is the solution to the issue at hand.
"It has mitigations. It has capacity. It has a nod to some of the things that they've said no to," she said. "We don't foresee that this has to extend any further."
Mayor Lightfoot disagrees. She released a statement on Twitter saying "CTU leadership you're not listening. The best safest place for kids is to be in school. Students need to be back in person as soon as possible. That's what parents want. That's what the science supports. We will not relent."
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