A Chicago parent group has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Teachers Union, saying the school closings this week are the result of an “illegal strike.”
The lawsuit, filed Thursday by the Liberty Justice Center, aims to get teachers back into the classroom and accused the Chicago Teachers Union of participating in an illegal strike.
“Because the CTU members refused to teach under the conditions set out by the CPS – the in-person instruction – the CTU members are, by definition, engaged in a strike,” says the lawsuit.
Chicago public schools have closed classrooms since Wednesday following a Chicago Teachers Union vote to move classes to a distance format, which the district has refused to do.
A tweet from the Chicago Teachers Union says they would return to in-person learning when coronavirus cases “ease significantly” or the city signs a “terms of return” agreement.
The lawsuit also notes that the Chicago Teachers Union received 73% of its member support to suspend in-person teaching amid rising coronavirus cases and supposedly inadequate safety measures by Chicago public schools. , which is “less than the three-quarters required to authorize a strike.”
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS CANCEL CLASSES FOR ANOTHER THIRD DAY AS BATTLE WITH TEACHERS ‘UNION CONTINUES
A sign is displayed on the front of Chicago Public School Headquarters on January 5, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson /.) (Scott Olson /.)
Lawyers at the Liberty Justice Center are calling for an emergency hearing where a judge can order teachers to return to class.
Ammie Kessem, a parent of a Chicago public school student who is also the 41st member of the Republican Neighborhood Committee in Chicago, told Fox News Digital that the decision by Chicago Teachers Union members not to show up for work has harmful consequences on the minds of students. health.
« [Students] were just starting to get things back to normal. And now all of a sudden they have the carpet ripped right under them, ”Kessem said.
Kessem noted that teachers have a variety of resources to keep them safe and that there should be no work stoppage, and said she joined the lawsuit to get the students back to school.
Lori Lightfoot speaks at a press conference on January 4 (Facebook / Chicago Public Schools) (Facebook / Chicago Public Schools)
“I am a first responder. I have to be at work. And the main thing is that these children have to be in school. It is the safest place for them, ”Kessem said.
CHICAGO OFFERS MEALS, “SAFETY REVIEWED SITES” FOR CHILDREN DURING THE UNEXPECTED CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS
An attorney for the Liberty Justice Center said in a press release that the teachers’ union was violating their collective agreement with Chicago public schools.
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Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Jesse Sharkey speaks outside Peirce Elementary School on the first day of a CTU strike October 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski /.)
“CTU’s resolution calling on members not to show up for work in person is a strike regardless of CTU’s name and violates both the collective agreement with the CPS and Illinois law,” he said. said Jeffrey Schwab, senior attorney at the Liberty Justice Center. “WCB cannot unilaterally decide what steps need to be taken to keep public schools safe, by completely silencing parental comments about what is best for the health, safety and well-being of their children. . “
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