Chicago’s controversial teacher’s union leader called Mayor Lori Lightfoot ‘relentlessly stupid’ as teachers refuse to continue in-person learning.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey made the harsh comment during a press conference Monday morning nearly a week after the union made the highly-criticized last minute decision to cancel classes and push for remote learning as COVID continues to spike.
The avowed socialist union leader, who has led the CTU since 2014, has been branded a hypocrite for driving a Tesla and living on a $1.5 million estate.
‘We feel like we’re at a point where we don’t have enough at the table to be able to go back to the people who, frankly, have sacrificed a lot at this point, and confidently say, ‘This is something that can help us ensure our safety,’ Sharkey said Monday.
‘The mayor is being relentless, but she’s being relentlessly stupid, she is being relentlessly stubborn.’
The teacher’s union and city officials including the mayor have been entangled in disagreements since the union voted to cancel in-person classes at 11pm Tuesday and push for remote learning over COVID fears.
Students in the city have missed four days of instruction and now face a fifth as no agreement has be reached to get them bac to school for Tuesday.
Chicago Teacher’s Union president Jason Sharkey called Mayor Lightfoot ‘relentlessly stupid’ in a press conference on Monday
Chicago public schools have been cancelled for four days as the union and city continue to argue on the safest way to continue instruction (Pictured: A sign taped to the front door of Pulaski International School of Chicago on Tuesday, January 5)
CTU leader Sharkey (left) continues to support the union’s last minute decision to refuse in-person learning. Mayor Lightfoot (right) continues to claim that in-person learning is the best option for students but is working to reach an agreement with the union
Starkey said that an agreement is being held up by the mayor.
‘We have said all along there are three elements to a potential settlement: The question of remote instruction, the question of widespread testing and PTS Terbaik ASEAN the question of a metric that would allow individual schools to flip to remote if there is an outbreak at the school,’ he continued.
‘We have said all along there are three elements to a potential settlement: The question of remote instruction, the question of widespread testing and the question of a metric that would allow individual schools to flip to remote if there is an outbreak at the school,’ he continued.
Lightfoot and other city officials including Public Health Commissioner Dr.Allison Arwady and Chicago Schools CEO Pedro Martinez have continued to insist that in-person classes remain the best option for students but have agreed to negotiate with the union.
Lightfoot’s latest update struck a more considered tone than last week’s condemnation of teachers, which saw her brand their behavior ‘unlawful.’
‘Out of fairness and consideration for parents who need to prepare, classes will be canceled again Monday,’ Lightfoot tweeted on Sunday. ‘Although we have been negotiating hard throughout the day, there has not been sufficient progress for us to predict a return to class tomorrow.’
Parents have slammed the socialist leader of the CTU as he continues to defend the last minute decision to shutter schools last week by claiming ‘going in puts students and families at risk.’
Just 400 positive COVID cases — about 70% students and 30% staff- were reported Tuesday morning after classes returned following the winter break.
Like all other large cities in the US, Chicago has been hit by a recent surge of COVID cases, blamed on the super-infectious Omicron variant.
A total of 5,260 new cases were recorded across the city on Friday, the most recent data available, with just over one in five COVID tests coming back positive.
Meanwhile, 90 people were in hospital on Friday — a 16% drop on the week before — and 11 people died of COVID on the same day.
Vaccination rates of people who have had at least one dose of COVID vaccine now sit at 72.3%.
Chicago Public Schools is the third-largest school district in the nation serving 350,000 students (Pictured: A sign is displayed on the front of the headquarters for Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday, January 5)
Union bosses have noted soaring cases among teachers to justify the ongoing closures
Public health commissioner Dr.Allison Arwady insisted that the safety protocols set in place for Chicago Public Schools were sufficient to protect the children and staff
Sharkey held a Zoom press conference on Wednesday to defend the union’s vote.
‘Right now going into schools puts us at risk, puts our students and families at risk.We’re in the middle of a dangerous surge. We don’t think bars should be open,’ he said.
He claimed that the city’s safety plan to return to in-person learning was ‘fairly inadequate.’ Parents were quick to criticize Sharkey and the union.
‘You’re using our children as leverage.Parents are the ones to decide if it’s safe to send our children to school. This is a disgraceful power move,’ one said on Twitter in response to his press conference.
‘If I got to vote to stay home in my warm house you bet your a** I would,’ another said.
‘Every single one of the teachers who don’t show for in class teaching should immediately be fired,’ quipped another.
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS news" data-version="2" id="mol-5fd8b510-6e41-11ec-b44b-97f7599ae642" website teacher union leader calls mayor 'relentlessly stupid'