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Chicago teachers punished as classroom no-shows protest

Posted January 13, 2021 6:00 am

By SOPHIA TAREEN

Meghan Hayes, who teaches at John Hay Community Academy, teaches her class outside Chicago Public Schools Board President Miguel del Valle's home, Wednesday morning, Jan. 13, 2021, in Chicago. Educators who were teaching remotely joined some teachers who were locked out of their remote teaching accounts because of their refusal to teach in-person due to COVID-19 safety concerns. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago teachers punished for refusing to show up for the start of in-person classes over COVID-19 concerns, demonstrated Wednesday outside the school board president's home.

Roughly 150 employees have been docked pay and locked out of Chicago Public Schools systems, meaning they can't teach remotely either as classes began this week for thousands of pre-kindergarten and special education students.

'œI don't believe it's safe to reopen the schools. I don't believe it's safe for my family, I live with an elderly mom... I don't believe it is safe for the city's children or their families," said Kirstin Roberts, a pre-kindergarten teacher on the city's northwest side.

She was among dozens who bundled up in winter gear for a 'œteach in'ť outside Chicago Board of Education President Miguel del Valle's home. Those who've lost access to school email and teaching platforms recorded videos or Facebook Live streams for their students. Others protested in solidarity and continued remote lessons from the lawn.

Roberts said none of the 22 kids in her class returned for in-person instruction and her two co-teachers and a substitute were teaching in her absence.

With strong objections from the Chicago Teachers Union, the nation's third-largest district has experienced a bumpy start to its gradual return to in-person instruction after going remote last March.

Pre-kindergarten and some special education students were given the option to come back to class this week or continue online. About 6,000 students expressed interest in returning, but district officials haven't released updated attendance data. CPS officials didn't return messages Wednesday.

Students in kindergarten through 8th grade have the option for two days of in-person instruction starting Feb. 1. Plans haven't been announced for high school students. Overall, roughly 40% of eligible students, about 77,000, have said they'd like to return.

The union argues that the roughly 355,000-student district hasn't gone far enough to protect teachers and seeks better metrics to determine reopening, widespread vaccinations and better classroom ventilation.

District officials said schools have been cleaned, thousands of air purifiers placed in classrooms and anyone entering a school must first complete an online health screening, including a self-reported temperature check. Chicago schools have also rolled out a voluntary testing program, where teachers get COVID-19 tests roughly once a month at school to monitor potential outbreaks.

District officials cited preliminary data this week showing nearly 71%, or 1,220 of the 1,727 teachers expected in class Monday, showed up. Among all school employees the rate was slightly higher, with 76% of the nearly 4,000 expected employees reporting for duty.

While more than 200 employees failed the health screening, district officials said they'd disciplined 145 school employees who didn't report for work last week head of students' return and this week. CPS officials said they were notified that they'd lose access to the district's system and not be paid until they returned.

Illinois logged 5,862 new confirmed and probable infections and 97 additional deaths Wednesday, according to the state's Department of Public Health. Overall, Illinois has reported more than 1 million cases and 17,840 deaths.

Chicago health officials say the city has recently averaged around 1,000 daily COVID-19 infections.

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Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiatareen.

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This story corrects the spelling of Kirstin Roberts' first name.

Teachers and Chicago Public Schools alumni stand outside Chicago Public Schools Board President Miguel del Valle's home, Wednesday morning, Jan. 13, 2021, in Chicago. Educators who were teaching remotely joined some teachers who were locked out of their remote teaching accounts because of their refusal to teach in-person due to COVID-19 safety concerns. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) The Associated Press

Linda Perales, who teaches kinder to second grade students at Corkery Elementary School, livestreams a class outside Chicago Public Schools Board President Miguel del Valle's home, Wednesday morning, Jan. 13, 2021, in Chicago. Some teachers were locked out of their remote teaching accounts because of their refusal to teach in-person due to COVID-19 safety concerns. Locked out teachers joined those who were still teaching remotely. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) The Associated Press

Chicago Public Schools alumni Genesis Rivera, left, and Diego Garcia, in blue hat, stand with teachers outside Chicago Public Schools Board President Miguel del Valle's home, Wednesday morning, Jan. 13, 2021, in Chicago. Educators who were teaching remotely joined some teachers who were locked out of their remote teaching accounts because of their refusal to teach in-person due to COVID-19 safety concerns. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) The Associated Press

Tracy Royer, who teaches mixed pre-K students at Gale Community Academy, teaches her class outside Chicago Public Schools Board President Miguel del Valle's home, Wednesday morning, Jan. 13, 2021, in Chicago. Educators who were teaching remotely joined some teachers who were locked out of their remote teaching accounts because of their refusal to teach in-person due to COVID-19 safety concerns. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) The Associated Press

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