Chicago, USA, Classes Suspended Due to Teachers Refusing In-Person Instruction

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] In Chicago, USA, the education authorities canceled all classes after teachers refused in-person classes due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

According to the Wall Street Journal and others on the 5th (local time), about 340,000 students belonging to over 630 schools under the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) were unable to attend classes just two days after returning from winter break.

This was due to teachers deciding to refuse in-person classes and demanding a switch to remote learning. The teachers' union (CTU) announced the previous evening that the proposal to refuse classroom teaching was passed with 73% approval in a vote.

They demanded that the education authorities either accept all the teachers' union's requests regarding school safety or conduct online classes until the 18th unless the COVID-19 infection rate significantly decreases.

The education authorities responded that sufficient quarantine measures have been taken and that each school can respond individually according to its situation, so they will not switch to online classes uniformly again.

Pedro Martinez, head of the Chicago Public Schools, said, "96% of all teachers and 92% including staff have been vaccinated, and we are prioritizing the distribution of 200,000 level-1 protective masks requested by the teachers' union," adding, "Since each school is in a different environment, it is better to find solutions suited to the situation rather than uniform measures."

Parents are voicing concerns that only students are suffering and are suggesting that the decision to switch to online classes should be made by a parent vote.

Martinez said, "We are doing our best to return students to classrooms as soon as possible." However, local Chicago media reported that it is uncertain whether classroom teaching can resume immediately from the 6th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.