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The
parents are asking the court to rule that the Chicago Teachers
Union's action violates its collective bargaining agreement with
CPS and prevent the union from continuing "to authorize its
members to stop in-person teaching," among other demands.
“CTU’s resolution calling members to not show up for work
in-person is a strike regardless of what CTU calls it and
violates both the collective bargaining agreement with CPS and
Illinois law,” Jeffrey Schwab, senior attorney at the Liberty
Justice Center, which is representing the parents, said in a
statement. “CTU cannot unilaterally decide what actions should
be taken to keep public schools safe, completely silencing
parents’ input about what is best for the health, safety, and
well-being of their children.”
The CTU voted late Tuesday to urge Chicago Public Schools to
switch to fully remote learning because of a recent spike in
COVID-19 cases, and authorized teachers to refuse to report to
work is CPS refused. Schools have been closed since Tuesday with
no remote learning options, and CPS on Friday said schools also
would be closed Monday as negotiations continue with the union.
"Throughout this entire pandemic, our kids have paid a
tremendous price for adults’ mistakes and miscalculations, and
now the teachers’ union has hastily and recklessly put them on
their political roller coaster again,” Laurel Golden, one of the
parents named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a
statement. “The science is clear, and so is the desire of
parents: Our kids need and deserve to be in school. This illegal
strike must be ended immediately, and we must get kids back into
the classroom.”
Liberty Justice Center is a national nonprofit law firm based in
Chicago that focuses on defending Americans' constitutional
rights.
The Chicago Teachers Union did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
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