Chicago Public Schools teachers declared strike but Charter Schools will be open

"Real schools will not open tomorrow," according to Karen Lewis, Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President, at approximately 10 p.m. Sun. Sept. 9.

Her announcement came on the heels of Chicago Board of Education President David Vitale making a statement outlining many points of agreement. Vitale, however, did not sound hopeful about the teachers being on the job on Monday. He indicated that he had never been through negotiations like this before.

Lewis claimed that there was a long list of unresolved issues that ranged from teacher evaluations to air conditioning in classrooms. Despite the by Lewis and CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, flanked by representatives of all Chicago departments, emphasized several times that the "Strike is a strike of choice.." with only two unresolved points.

"This strike is not over financials. There are only two points not agreed to: local principals making decisions about their schools, without being told what to do by either Chicago Public Schools (CPS) or the union, and teacher evaluations.

"Kids belong in the classroom. Getting education is crucial for the children. This is no time to have a strike. School could have continued while these final two issues were resolved," emphasized Emanuel. "...it's unnecessary, it's avoidable and it's wrong."

CPS offering to union can be read online.

The last time there was a CPS strike was 25 years ago. Dressed in red tee-shirts, picketers are expected at 675 schools and the Board of Education starting early Monday morning. This strike does not effect Charter or private schools.

SCHOOL ALTERNATIVES

In addition to the 144 Children First Sites, following is a list of alternative sites for children.

Safe Haven program

The “Safe Haven, Safe Summer” program in 59 churches will continue, providing CPS students with structured activities in a safe space while out of school.

•  Locations: 59 churches
•  Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
•  Staffing: Church pastors and volunteers
•  Programming: Assistance with college applications, arts and crafts, and social and emotional learning programs.
•  Registration: Parents must register their children on site.
•  Food: Breakfast and lunch will be provided by Catholic Charities

Additional City of Chicago Support

Chicago Park District                   

•  Locations: 78 park locations
•  Hours: Half-day programs from 8:30am – 12:30pm Monday – Friday, half-day programs from 12:30pm – 3:30pm Monday – Friday, and full-day programs from 8:30am – 3:30pm Monday – Friday
•  Staffing: Existing park program staff, redeployed management staff and volunteers (via Chicago Cares)
•  Programming: “Play at the Park” program, a supervised recreational camp program that serves children ages 6-12.

  Students will participate in camp type activities such as sports, arts, and nature activities.

•  Registration: Parents must register children in person at the program site.
•  Food: Students will have to bring their own food.  However, shelf-stable snacks may be provided in some locations.

Chicago Public Libraries                             

•  Locations: 76 library facilities will be open to students
•  Hours: All library facilities will maintain their operating hours and be available for student use.
•  Staffing: Current library staff and volunteers (via Chicago Cares)
•  Programming: Students can access books, magazines, and online learning opportunities to mitigate learning loss.
• •  High School Seniors will be prioritized for computer use to take advantage of online courses

•  Registration: No registration process. Students under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult.
•  Food: Students will be allowed to eat healthy snacks in the libraries, but they will have to bring their own.

CTA, Fire, Police and OEMC will have a safety plan in place to ensure the safety of students and families as they travel to and from available options.

•  CPD will deploy police officers in schools to supplement CPS security staff assigned to school sites.
• •  Each day, CPD will support setting and maintaining a clear path/lane for students and staff to arrive
  •  Support in maintaining a calm and safe environment for everyone, including students, staff and protesters
  •  CPD will use existing patrols to maintain a calm and peaceful environment on the exterior of sites.

•  Safe Passage vendors will continue to support CPS students
• •  Safe Passage vendors currently support high school students as they travel to and from school
  •  Safe Passage community watchers will monitor routes around Children First sites

•  CTA will continue to monitor train and bus stations with their CTA security officers
• •  Additional cars have been committed, and CTA is augmenting existing routes as necessary to ease student access to Children First sites
  •  Should CTU choose to strike, CTA will provide free rides for CPS students from noon to 6pm Monday through Friday to facilitate travel to and from schools, parks, libraries and other sites.

•  OEMC will support CPS by continuing to monitor sites where there is camera access
• •  311 will take calls from parents and students to learn about Children First options and help register students.

Online Education Options for High School Seniors                                  

In order for our Seniors to not fall off-track for college, Seniors will be eligible to continue their studies via online coursework in credit recovery, Advanced Placement (AP) or non-credit bearing General Elective classes.

•  Seniors that begin a course may continue the course after the CTU strike is over.
•  CPS has also developed a Parent Resources guide with links to age-appropriate online educational resources for non-Seniors.

Registration: Seniors should register for online courses. Upon verification of senior status and eligibility, students will be issued login-credentials and instructions by email to access online courses.  Parents, students and site staff should monitor each student's work and progress via electronic reporting and an online portal.

Additional Support by Community-Based Organizations             

Nonprofit and out-of-school time organizations will extend hours and offer programs for students:

• 65 out-of-school time partner agencies who already work with the Department of Family Support Services will offer programming
• 10 Boys and Girls Clubs will offer programming for students from 9am-3pm, provided families pay a $20 fee for a one-year membership
• 9 YMCA sites will offer programming for students from 7am-6pm, regardless of whether families are YMCA members on a first-come, first-served basis
• 10 Salvation Army sites will offer programming for students
• • The new Kroc Center will serve students from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 3 Family Focus sites will offer programming for students
• 20 DFSS-funded childcare providers will extend their half-day programming to a full day.

Chicago Cares is serving as the volunteer management organization for volunteers as part of a coordinated Children First plan.

• To volunteer at a Park, Library or non-profit site, register online.

Other private offerings

Easel Art is offering some programming. Their online listing provides contact information.

YMCA also indicates that they are providing programming.

*Photo from NBC Chicago where there are 3 videos

More info: Chicago Tribune's coverage,