Chicago schools to reopen after teachers agree to end COVID walkout

The walkout started last week, idling some 340,000 students, and came after the teachers' union voted to reinstate virtual instruction and pushed for more rigorous safety protocols, including wider testing, citing the rapid spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant in recent weeks. "We're going to keep doing what's right," said Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey during a news conference confirming the deal to return to classes.

Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest U.S. education district, will resume in-person classes on Wednesday after a teachers union backed ending a walkout over COVID-19 protection fears, the mayor and union leaders said on Monday.

"Switching completely back to remote learning again without a public health reason to do so would have created and amplified the social, emotional and economic turmoil that far too many of our families are facing," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a news conference. The walkout started last week, idling some 340,000 students, and came after the teachers' union voted to reinstate virtual instruction and pushed for more rigorous safety protocols, including wider testing, citing the rapid spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant in recent weeks.

"We're going to keep doing what's right," said Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey during a news conference confirming the deal to return to classes. "It does include some important things which are going to help safeguard ourselves and our schools," he said of the agreement.