If Teachers Strike, Chicago Public Schools Will Drop Final Exams
(CBS) -- A school year ending with no final exams?
That sounds strange, but it could happen within the Chicago Public Schools system.
Some students are not happy, CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.
Michelle Calderone is among the many students at Kelly High School preparing for finals. So, CPS's contingency plan, in case of a strike -- it includes canceling finals -- does not sit well with this graduating senior.
"It makes me angry because I'm someone who likes to know exactly what's going to happen," she says.
The future is uncertain for students across the district because the teachers could strike any time after May 16, just weeks before finals begin. The school year is scheduled to end June 21.
"We hope those finals take place. They're scheduled at the very end of the school year. If they don't place, then the grades will be based on the work that's been done up to that point," CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said.
Graduation is about the only activity CPS is guaranteeing. The district says administrators from headquarters would fill in for striking teachers. But other activities that depend on teachers, such as senior luncheon, would be in jeopardy.
"We need a lot of adult supervision for the prom. We have to have these days where we can collect the fees and get the money so that we can have them," says Jim Coughlin, Kelly High School principal.
The governing body of the Chicago Teachers Union meets next Wednesday. Sources say a potential strike continues to be a part of the discussion.
Both sides say they're committed to negotiating a labor agreement, in order to avoid a strike.
