CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Now that most Chicago Public School students are back in the classrooms, the next step may need to be lowering tensions between the Teachers Union and the Lightfoot Administration.
Amy Korte is the Vice-President at the Illinois Policy Institute, a free-market think tank that’s sometimes been critical of city government, but she said it was important for Mayor Lori Lightfoot to resist the Chicago Teachers’ Union’s effort to return to remote learning even for a while.
"The attitude should have been in-person schooling is essential and I think Mayor Lightfoot was right to stand firm, because remote schooling has been a disaster for students-for their academic achievement and for their mental health."
The CTU was demanding more testing and vaccinations at the schools, but Korte does not think it was all about healthcare.
"This is the third work stoppage in 28 months that has been orchestrated by the Chicago Teachers Union," she pointed out. "This feels a lot like the union flexing its muscles."
Still, she said all sides need to keep the kids foremost in mind, because the conflicts are driving some families away from CPS and making others feel hopeless.
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