Union, parents mull if Chicago teacher standoff was worth it

By SOPHIA TAREEN and KATHLEEN FOODY
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago schools will offer more COVID-19 testing and have standards to close school related to infection rates, but the cost of a bitter union battle and five days of missed schools has parents and union members questioning if it was worth it. The Chicago Teachers Union wanted the ability to revert to remote teaching districtwide and other protections. The city rejected the proposal and canceled classes instead, creating mass confusion in the district of roughly 350,000 students.  Union leaders, who tentatively approved the deal, acknowledged it wasn’t a homerun and several expressed discontent heading into a wider union vote. Meanwhile, many parents who had to miss work or scramble to make arrangements for children said there was a loss of trust.