(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Chicago Teachers Union says the safest way to start the new school year in the city is to have students learning online from home.
"While we understand there's a lot of challenges that come with remote learning, we also know that, currently, there's no plan that exists which we feel will adequately address the safety of our students and staff," CTU President Jesse Sharkey said during an online news conference Thursday.
Sharkey said having students begin at home and learning remotely is the safest option.
"Ultimately, what's going to happen if we don't get it right, is that we hope the parents and the community would say, you know, 'We're not going into a burning building,'" he said.
Ariam Abraham, an English teacher at Simeon High School, says the coronavirus numbers indicate it's not a good time to be putting teachers, students and others back into school buildings yet.
"I love my job. I love my students. And, if it were up to me, I would return in the fall. But, it's not up to me. It's up to the virus right now, and we know that it's unsafe."
Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said Chicago Public Schools needs to come up with a plan soon. "We need six weeks. CPS has six weeks. Our charter operators have less time to figure out how to make sure that we have broadband and devices for every single child in the school system."
Davis Gates adds: "Our members are choosing certainty over confusion. They want an opportunity to plan for the best type of learning we can provide during a pandemic."
Myrna Salgado Romo works as the operations manager at Namaste Charter School.
She said her school had a small in-person summer program and that educators found it to be very challenging.
"It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to screen students in the morning and that is only at 17% of enrollment," she said.
Sheresa Matthews, a speech language pathologist who travels all over the city, also believes in-person learning would be too risky.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says his administration will lay out guidelines for in-person learning, and local school districts will decide whether they can reopen safely, offer e-learning or a combination.
CPS officials said they would come out this week with a framework for the start of the school year and get feedback from parents, students and staff.
"The health and safety of our students and staff is paramount, and our planning for the fall will be guided by the best available data and guidance from state and local health officials," a statement said.
