"Our schools are safe": Chicago mayor orders teachers to be in the classroom starting Monday

[Omaha Steve]

Source: CBS NEWS

BY PETER MARTINEZ

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Dr. Janice Jackson on Sunday insisted that teachers return to the classroom on Monday amid the heated situation between CPS and the union representing thousands of educators over the debate of resuming in-person learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Chicago Teachers Union has been telling teachers to stay remote, out of concern for safety during the pandemic. Therefore, the Chicago Public Schools said adequate staffing cannot be assured, so students will still be learning remotely on Monday — with the expectation that students in pre-kindergarten, special education and K-8 students should be returning to in-person learning on Tuesday, according to CBS Chicago.

The mayor said all pre-K to eighth grade teachers are to return to the classroom on Monday, unless they have received a special accommodation. If they don't comply, "we're going to have to take action," Lightfoot said, but didn't elaborate.

Lightfoot said multiple times on Sunday that "our schools are safe" and told the CTU leadership needs to return to the bargaining table. The mayor also said that "remote learning is failing too many of our kids" and accused the CTU of lacking a sense of urgency in having students return to in-person learning.


Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chicago-schools-teachers-classroom-starting-monday/

[Wawannabe]

1. This is BS

Courts are already on the side of teachers here in WA.
I don’t think this is the right stance for the Mayor. Especially threats... will lose in court most likely.

And even if schools clean. Students come from many households and can bring it in easy...

[58Sunliner]

2. Sorry mayor, but even if all your teachers have been vaccinated-

There will be deaths attributable to this decision.
It's a pandemic, not a flu season. Kids are dying, and compliance will be difficult. It will spread to families, parents that are at risk. I don't understand why protecting lives is not the number one priority!!!!!!!!!

[Tarc]

3. I agree with the mayor, tbh

Mask up, distance, wash hands. Parents can't stay home with their kids forever.

[NEOBuckeye]

4. When did school become daycare?

Teachers aren’t babysitters for your kids.

[agtcovert]

9. No, they're not babysitters...

I write this as the partner of a dedicated teacher:

1) Our society, unfortunately, is currently predicated on many families depending on their children being in school so parent(s) can be working in order to support their families. There's just no way around it, especially if you're a single parent. We don't allow people proper time off, we don't support families properly in this crisis and time of need. If anything, this has uncovered one of the many flaws in the way we've structured work vs private life. And it sucks.

2) Our local school system, and many others (this may be nationally reported in a broader sense) have statistics to show that being in school is no more or less safe than schooling from home. With proper precautions, they've found in many cases it's safer as the environment is controlled versus kids at home whose parents may take them out in public which is much less safe.

3) I *completely* understand and sympathize with these teachers, especially with how slowly the vaccine is rolling out to this group of dedicated professionals. It's criminal. My wife is near the breaking point mentally, and she soldiers on. I can't comment on the legality of either side here, but like I said, I certainly understand. And if proper precautions and a plan for getting these teachers vaccinated aren't in place I think they have a legitimate complaint.

[Squinch]

15. I work in schools. Those statistics don't remotely match what

I am witnessing.

[agtcovert]

18. Good for you.

We both are close to school systems and their operations. Unless either one of us can come up with something to cite, it's anecdotal at best in both our cases. I know what I've seen, and it's far better than I expected. I can screenshot the data our school system sent out with their stats, which they've been keeping since we went back, full time, in August.

Also, there's a big difference in K-8 infection rates and those in high schools.

And let me be even more clear: this is coming from a parent who, the night before we went back to school, was sobbing hugging my girls before sending them to school. They wanted to go back and our work arrangements are such that -- frankly, we didn't have a lot of choice either. I've since come to be comfortable with how this is being handled in our school system. I'm sure that's not the case everywhere.

There's a propensity to approach a lot of things with hair on fire. We're passionate about teacher's safety, our children's safety, our own safety. I don't doubt your experience. I'm just saying -- there's no one size fits all here.

[Squinch]

20. I have lost 2 colleagues since this started and watched

others get so debilitated that they'll never work again.

Call me stupid for not trusting the statistics. But I'll go with the anecdotal evidence of my own experience.

Consider my hair burned right off.

And no. Clearly we are not passionate about our teachers' safety or we wouldn't be having this discussion

[angrychair]

31. Sure, I guess in rich white suburbs

But intercity schools often don't even have AC and most teachers are buying their own supplies and even bringing in toilet paper and working in classrooms with 35 kids in a classroom meant to have 23.

How did a they magically get space and funding for supplies?

[zaj]

32. Always?

At least since the shift to 2 jobs per family.

[notinkansas]

6. The virus is airborne.

Classrooms have always been overcrowded. Most of the buildings are old and do not have the kind of ventilation required to inhibit virus spread. They are not safe! Vaccination of teachers and staff has to happen before the mayor can even think of opening schools. Anything less is immoral. Teacher's lives cannot be sacrificed for the convenience of parents. Keeping learning remote temporarily - until all staff are fully vaccinated - is by no means too much to ask.

[agtcovert]

13. These are generalizations.

I'll give two personal examples here, see upthread, as I live with this on a daily basis, being partner to a teacher.

1) My wife's schools are rural and old buildings. She's a music teacher and has her room set up such that there are 6 feet between chairs, kids are masked at all times facing one direction. She's eliminated certain things from her curriculum this year -- many instruments can't be used as they're a vector for spread, no matter how clean they are. As of this morning, she told me an entire class is quarantined -- and not the first time. So while individual children are getting infections, the overall rate has been low and the process is in place to prevent further spread. It'd be better if this community wasn't a bunch of morons (some have sent their kids in symptomatic--not necessarily with COVID) -- but that has nothing to do with the buildings or other precautions. You can't fix stupid and willfully ignorant.

2) The school system my children go to has zoned the buildings. Bus drop off happens at specific doors for specific classes. Specials are grouped and kids are zoned in the building. Prevents spread and makes contact tracing much easier. We've had < 10 positive cases, and with these precautions in place, no entire class has been quarantined. All other recommended safety procedures are in effect, of course.

Chicago I'm sure has a different set of circumstances, and as I said before, if certain precautions can't be followed, I absolutely support these teachers in their right to feel safe. What I'm seeing on here though are knee jerk reactions.

This is hard for everyone. It's been made so much worse by the last maladministration; we didn't have to be here. There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to this problem though. Based on local statistics, we're finding it's safer to have kids in school than not.

[notinkansas]

23. Chicago does indeed have different circumstances.

My comments may be regarded as generalizations if you are considering schools throughout the state, but they are very specific regarding Chicago schools. Chicago schools are not going to be safe places for teachers or students at this time.

[backroadblast]

24. Chicago

this thread is about Chicago public schools. if you have positive experience in a rural district that's great news, but its comparing apples and oranges.

[agtcovert]

28. I have experience with both rural and non-rural systems.

But I'm done responding, everyone can continue yelling fire in the theater.

[Squinch]

14. So a few dead teachers are just the price we have to pay?

So parents don't have to figure out childcare?

SMDH.

I work in 4 schools. All have been opened for a limited number of students since October. The city closes them when there are 2 or more confirmed cases. None of the 4 has been open for even 50% of the time since they opened. So opening the schools does nothing to solve the childcare issue.

Even though they are all less than half full, there has been one death since October and a number of cases where the teacher or administrator is too sick to ever return to work.

This is russian roulette with someone else's life. And it's bullshit.

[agtcovert]

16. The childcare thing...

is a systemic problem of our 'damn the tides, vulture capitalism' society.

(I'm pretty sensitive on this topic, so I guess I'm flooding this post with responses).

Do you have kids? Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to line up child care IF you can afford it? What do you say to a single parent who -- whether it's right or wrong -- is depending on their child being in school because they can't afford full-day child care and have to choose between holding down a job or losing it entirely? What good does that do anyone in that family? There's no social safety net in this country that's worth a damn. So we've put 1000's of families in an impossible situation.

We've had people get sick in our schools too. No one's died thankfully. In a better world (country?), more people, more humanistically (did I invent a word??) focused society, we wouldn't have to make these choices. No one would.

It's just not that simple. I know many people who have had to make the hard choice between employment and rolling the dice. Everyone's with school-aged kids who works and whose school system is open has rolled the dice.

Because they don't have a choice.

I guess I'm agreeing with you that it's bullshit, but the premise I'm basing this on is not binary. It's just a bucket full of shit choices. I think we owe some grace to parents who 'can't figure out childcare' -- there's a whole lot of gray area there.

[Squinch]

19. But as I said, opening the schools up does nothing to

solve the childcare problem in my area because the "opened" schools are closed more than they're open because of the number of cases that have occurred.

Also, the difficulty of lining up childcare does not really compare to the difficulty of losing a family member. A mother or father. Possibly the breadwinner.

Yes, there are a host of problems involved. But opening the schools does not address any of them. It simply says, "Teachers are expendable. It's ok if a few of them die to ease our inconvenience."

And yes, it does say that.

[flotsam]

40. It (child care) is hard so someone else is going to have to risk death?

Have you any idea how much a moron you sound like?

[Turin_C3PO]

25. It's not the responsibility

of teachers to make sure that parents have babysitters.

[NotHardly]

5. Maybe the Mayor and his staff ought to work out of a school for a few weeks...

if it is so damn safe.

Put his body where his mouth says teachers ought to be, let's see how that works.

[notinkansas]

7. Agreed.

Show us all how safe it is, madame mayor.

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. Bull Shit

[oioioi]

10. which side are you on?

[bluestarone]

11. Sorry i disagree with the Mayor this time!

Actually, i'm kind of surprised she's taking this stance?

[mikeysnot]

22. I concur

she made false equivalencies regarding grocery store workers. She will be a one termer for this.

[Initech]

12. Call it a hunch, but I got a bad feeling about this.

[iluvtennis]

17. Have all of the teachers and school staff been vaccinated? Is adequate ventilation been put inside

each classroom? Have the classrooms been reconfigured to support 6-ft social distancing [or plexiglas shielding put up around each desk]? Is there periodic (e.g., once per month) retest for CV-19 setup?

Just a few questions. Until the schools are deemed to be safe, it's not time to put kids back in classrooms.

[Squinch]

21. Of course not! If all the teachers were vaccinated, I bet they'd

be clamoring to get back to the classrooms.

I don't understand why the sudden rush when we are literally weeks away from being able to do this safely!!

[iluvtennis]

38. + agree...just wait until it cna be done safely. nt

[keithbvadu2]

26. Is it safe?

[iluvtennis]

39. Perfect meme. nt

[mackdaddy]

27. "We are willing to risk YOUR life to open in-person schooling!"

That is what the mayor is saying.

I come from a family of teachers. NO WAY IN HELL would I be for this until everyone is vaccinated!

PS my 87 year old mother is in a COVID treatment ward right now. She was exposed 3 days or so after she got her first shot. Waiting to see if she survives.


Did you hear about the 20 airliners that fell out of the sky killing all on board yesterday? Well the Airliners are OK but that is how many deaths are happening every day from COVID.

[McKim]

29. Here in Oregon Governor Brown Did the Right Thing!

Here in Oregon our Governor Brown (D) did the right thing. We are vaccinating teachers and all school personnel first after nursing home residents and caregivers. Next comes the school people and then older people like 75 year old me and 83 year old hubby. We are happy to wait our turn so children can have a fuller life. Children and Teens are suffering. In Nevada there has been a rush of teen suicides lately. Chicago mayor needs to get smart and stop bullying.

[ProfessorGAC]

30. The Vax Plan Here Is The Same

Phase 1a was medical, first responders and conjugate care residents.
Phase 1b is school employees (any function) and people over 65.
Identical with regard to schools in your state.
I understand the concerns over Chicago's unique circumstances, but Illinois has school stats showing that schools are not a statistically significant cause of spread. And nearly 90% of our districts have been open for some form of in-person attendance since October 15 or sooner. Chicago is by far the biggest city but is far from the only urban situation here.
I've subbed 30 times this school year at 8 different schools.
I think their mitigation methods are solid, and (since we can look this up here) they've had a total of 9 cases. And, one bigger school had 3 of them. That's a 7th & 8th grade school of 1,500.
I admit some of the schools were 40 or 50 per grade, but some are much bigger.
Chicago classrooms are likely more crowded, might have unique transportation to school issues that complicate things even more, so it's not apples to oranges.
But, most of the state is doing ok.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

33. Your plan is similar to the one here, ...

... phase 1b is for over-65 and school employees. But, the teachers want to "tweak" the system so they are moved ahead of seniors, not mixed in with them. Teachers have a better union than retirees do, so they'll probably succeed.

As a senior, I can't argue with teachers' logic. In fact, I'd think any employed person should be vaccinated ahead of retired seniors. We no longer contribute to the economy in any meaningful way. We just take our Social Security money to the golf course. In a way, we're a waste of vaccine until there's a surplus of the juice.

My big hope for education is that the kids are actually learning whatever it is they are supposed to learn in their grade this year. I fear that education is mostly lost for a year, and the gap may exist for a long time..

[ProfessorGAC]

34. One Of The Schools Where I Sub...

...put me on their list. And, I'm only 64. But, I do spend a reasonably large amount of time in schools. (Probably averaging 3 days a week this school year. 15 days in November, 12 in December, 9 in January. I don't recall October or September, but it was still golf weather. So, probably just rainy days.)
I got my wife registered, but heard nothing back yet.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

35. Your slot will come, youngster.

My wife and I are registered in a few places, no shots scheduled yet. We're both 70+ and trying to "behave". I did play golf a few weeks ago, when the daytime high hit 40 and the ponds were still frozen from the night's cold

Since we no longer work, we can avoid contact with people, other than the occasional supermarket cashier or carryout server.

You're an educator? What's your assessment of the effectiveness of this year's education. Is teaching/learning happening, or are we mostly trying to adjust to zoom meetings, mute buttons, etc?

[ProfessorGAC]

37. Educator Is Strong

I'm just an educated helper.
I'm a retired scientist so I sub(!) in science & math 6-12th.
I've done plenty of hybrid (in-person with on-line attendees).
I think it would drive a real teacher nuts if all school was that way, all the time.
Having the WiFi headroom for 6-12 kids on-line with their video on, in a school with 25 or 50 classrooms?
Lots of dropouts, voice delay (but different for different kids), and then 10 faces on a laptop screen?
There's zero interaction!
I found it tedious & I don't have to do it at all, let alone every day!
I have concerns that, I'll say Grades 6-10, that the online students will be as tuned into science & math as the kids that are in-person.
But, I'm just an interested quasi-insider, not an expert in this field.

[turtleblossom]

36. Give the teachers and parents a choice

let them decide whether or not they want to return.