Parents To Protest Outside Chicago Teachers Union, Urge Teachers Not To Strike Over Return To In-Person Learning

CHICAGO (CBS) — With talk of a school strike in the air, a group of Chicago Public Schools parents will protest outside the Chicago Teachers Union headquarters Saturday.

They will gather at 11 a.m. at 1901 West Carroll in the West Town neighborhood.

The parents will urge CTU not to strike over concerns about returning to classroom learning.

The district is ready to return to in-person learning for kindergarten through 8th grade Monday, but the next round of teachers is refusing to come back. Some teachers who haven’t returned are already locked out online.

The CTU says many teachers feel uneasy and unsafe. The fear is if they do not enter the building they too will be locked out of online teaching, resulting in what equates to a strike.

CPS is insisting if teachers don’t return Monday, it is an illegal strike. CTU leaders say it’s only a strike if teachers can’t log on. And some teachers are already locked out. The two sides remain deadlocked.