Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest U.S. education district, canceled classes for a second day on Thursday amid a walkout by teachers demanding tougher COVID-19 protection measures, although city officials insisted schools are safe.
The stalemate, idling some 340,000 students, came after the teachers' union voted to reinstate virtual instruction and pushed for more rigorous safety protocols, including wider testing, citing the rapid spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant in recent weeks.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the district have branded the walkout an illegal work stoppage for which teachers' pay will be docked. The union has accused the mayor and school officials of "locking out" teachers by freezing their online instruction platforms, preventing a return to remote learning while the conflict is unresolved.
The White House appeared to side with the district, with press secretary Jen Psaki saying on Wednesday and Thursday that it would continue to make the case for public schools to be kept open, including in Chicago.
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