By Chrissy Clark
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) polled its members asking whether they would “support a district-wide pause and temporary shift to remote learning” amid a spike in COVID-19 Omicron cases, according to a survey distributed by the union.
The survey is titled “Possible Actions for Safety January 2022” and must be completed by union members by Dec. 27 in the lead-up to a Dec. 28 all-member Zoom meeting. Members will discuss how they can contribute to the “escalation” of the union’s “safety campaign,” according to the union’s site.
BREAKING: Chicago Teachers Union is polling its membership asking if they would "support a district-wide pause and temporary shift to remote learning."
They're also asking if membership would be willing to "participate in a city-wide work stoppage." pic.twitter.com/AOLuOyoXGY
— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) December 27, 2021
Talks of shutdowns are due to a spike in positive cases of the Omicron variant, according to the survey.
“Cases of the new omicron variant are spiking in Chicago and around the country. It is imperative that we return from our winter break with a plan to ensure school communities’ and our own safety,” the survey reads.
One question on the survey asked what actions members would be willing to take to “force [Chicago Public Schools] to improve its COVID safety measures.” Options for answers ranged from holding a meeting of the school safety committee on Jan. 3 to participating in a “city-wide work stoppage.”
Members’ responses will “help guide” the union’s response to Chicago Public Schools’ “inadequate pandemic response,” according to the union survey. Chicago Public Schools and the city of Chicago spent more than $100 million on masks, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and other classroom safety measures, according to ABC News.
The CTU was vehemently opposed to reopening schools during previous COVID-19 spikes and nixed nearly every school reopening plan amid negotiations with the city’s left-wing Mayor Lori Lightfoot. CTU also crafted a list of demands for reopening schools in 2020-2021.
Director of Research for the American Federation for Children Corey DeAngelis told the Daily Caller that more threats of school closures should lead to increased calls for school choice options — a position the CTU claims has a “racist history.” (RELATED: The Best States For School Choice Programs)
“We need to free families from the clutches of power-hungry teachers unions once and for all,” DeAngelis said. “The solution to the massive power imbalance between the teachers union monopoly and individual families is to fund students instead of systems.”
The Chicago Teachers Union did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
