Leaders of Chicago’s school district canceled classes for a third straight day today (January 7th) as negotiations continued with the Chicago Teachers Union over remote learning and Covid safety measures amid the nationwide surge being driven by the omicron variant.

The union voted earlier this week to go back to remote learning temporarily amid the surge, and told teachers not to go to work starting on Wednesday, just two days after students came back from the winter break, while they negotiate with the district.

The leaders of Chicago schools have said they don’t want to go back to remote learning, saying it hurts academic performance, mental health and attendance, and makes racial inequities worse. They have spent some $100 million on a Covid safety plan, but the union charges not enough was done. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has called the union’s actions an “illegal work stoppage,” and the city has said teachers who don’t come to work won’t get paid.