The Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) declared its belief that schools should be shut down again if the India Variant of the coronavirus, also known as the “Delta variant,” continues to spread, as reported by the Daily Caller.
In a letter published on Thursday addressed to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D-Ill.), the union demanded that the mayor “acknowledge the changing dynamics of the COVID-19 virus” and make further bargains with the CTU regarding conditions for possibly returning to school.
“Parents are concerned,” the letter states in part, “and they deserve assurances that our union and the [Chicago Public Schools] team are working…to ensure safety in hundreds of school buildings across the city.” In fact, many parents have been critical of CTU and other teachers’ unions across the country, which have sought to extend school shutdowns for as long as possible for the teachers’ pleasure, often including absurd and unreasonable conditions in their requirements for returning to in-person instruction.
Among CTU’s latest demands are “ventilation upgrades,” mandatory testing “for unvaccinated and vaccinated members” of the school community, and another “pause [on] in-person instruction.” They also demanded another $4 billion in funding for the school system, saying that only this would “earn the trust and confidence of families across the city.”
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district forced all students to wear masks to school, regardless of vaccination status, back in July. Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.) recently reimplemented a similar statewide mask mandate for all students, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, in a move that was supported by CTU. However, the union has also forced their members to keep their own vaccination status secret, with no justification given for this move.