US: Chicago schools resume in-person education Tuesday

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - Public schools in the US city of Chicago will return to in-person education on Tuesday, a day later than expected, according to officials.

After failing to reach an agreement for weeks, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) came to terms on COVID-19 measures as part of their reopening plans.

Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson said in a joint statement on Saturday they reached an agreement with the CTU on four key areas -- health and safety protocols, ventilation, contact tracing, and health and safety committees.

The CTU blasted Lightfoot on Friday, saying she forces thousands of educators and students back into schools on Monday without comprehensive testing for students and staff and remote teaching for educators with family members at risk.

Chicago school officials said teachers who do not report to work in-person, and who do not have a valid reason for their absence, will be considered absent without leave starting from Monday.

Teachers who are absent without leave on Tuesday will not be authorized to support remote learning until they report in-person as required, they added.

Around 67,000 students, of which 62,000 are in grades K-8, have informed the CPS that they plan returning to in-person education on Feb. 1.

The CPS district is the US' third largest, which included around 355,000 students during the 2019-2020 school year.