CHICAGO (CBS) — As parents await the CTU vote Tuesday night and what it means for Wednesday, thousands of Chicago families are left in limbo.
CBS 2’s Chris Tye reports from Ogden Elementary with what parents are saying. The domino effect here is real and wide ranging. Parents left to restart home school operations, reconfigure their jobs and answer the tough questions that they still don’t have answers for.
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Two days back from break and Chris Hartzol isn’t sure when his son will back in front of first grade teachers at Ogden Elementary.
“I’m not prepared, I did hear about it in the news but I assumed they would find some way around it,” Hartzol said.
So far they haven’t. Kids left not knowing when they’ll see their teachers again and parents left to re-assemble at home-schooling stations. Fadia Rafidi has three kids inside CPS.
“It’s going to be hard for me with three kids in the house,” said Rafidi. “E-learning is hard. You have to stay with them all day.”
And staying with them all day means ignoring careers, just as many industries are hemorrhaging workers.
“For one, it’ll be making arrangements with the job,” Hartzol said.
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“You have to cancel everything, don’t work and have to stay with them,” Rafidi said.
“Terribly frustrating, the lack of communication and lack of metrics.”
Maile Solis is frustrated that even though a decision on remote learning hasn’t been made. Teachers have been telling her kids it’s a done deal.
“My impression is that teachers think it’s a foregone conclusion that the union will vote to work remotely or to take some work stoppage action as of Wednesday,” Solis said.
What Wednesday and beyond hold remains unclear. But the young minds trying to take shape have a clear opinion on remote learning.
“It feels like you’re not at school anymore,” said Hartzol’s young son.
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The parents CBS 2 spoke with were frustrated but there wasn’t a lot of blame passed around. They understand both sides and that hasn’t always been the case with standoffs between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools.
Source: CBS Chicago
