CPS Plans to Use Schools, Parks, Libraries For Students During 1-Day Teacher's Strike

Chicago Public Schools officials announced they’ll have 250 “contingency sites” open citywide for students affected by a one-day teachers strike on April 1st.

“We ask that if parents have another option that they exercise that option. However, we know that it’s our responsibility to make sure there’s a place that provides a safe and orderly environment,” chief education office Janice Jackson said.

CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said details of those sites at school buildings, city libraries and Chicago Park District facilities will be announced Tuesday. Chicago Transit Authority will provide free transportation for children that day. Engineers and principals will also be at all school buildings, Claypool said.

The cost of the contingency plans is yet to be determined. The district indicated it won't be able to accommodate the more than 300,000 students affected by the walkout.

“While our priority is always to provide a structured learning environment for our students, this one-day strike challenges our ability to do that,” the district said in a letter signed by Claypool and Jackson.

“If you have the option of keeping your student(s) at home or attending a non-CPS facility on Friday, April 1st, we encourage you to do so.”

The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates on Wednesday voted in favor of a one-day “showdown” strike by a 4-to-1 margin. The CTU is protesting the state’s education funding crisis, school funding issues and the union’s ongoing contract negotiations with the city. Members are advised to strike outside their schools that morning and then gather downtown for a rally.

“A strike is about withholding labor because the labor conditions have gotten to a point that are not tolerable,” said union President Karen Lewis during a press conference following the 486 to 124 vote.

Claypool said he was disappointed in the vote, which he said gives Gov. Bruce Rauner “more ammunition in his misguided attempt to bankrupt and take over Chicago Public Schools.”

In response to district officials claiming that the one-day strike is illegal, the Chicago Teachers Union said, “What we are doing hasn’t been done before, so the CEO doesn’t know how the courts will rule should he seek to use money the district doesn’t have on unnecessary legal fees.”

Claypool said teachers who disagreed with the walkout and don't want to strike could report to work and receive a day’s pay.

"Many teachers and schools were in opposition to the action that CTU leadership took yesterday," Claypool said during remarks at Amundsen High School, which will be one of the contingency sites.

"We welcome our teachers in the school, we want them to come to work that day," he said. "There's work to be done."

READ MORE: Chicago Teachers Union Authorizes 1-Day Walkout: Reports

Photo via cps.edu