Chicago Public Schools welcome students back — but reopening deal must pass one more union hurdle

CHICAGO — Chicago Teachers Union members have until Wednesday afternoon to vote on an agreement to reopen schools for in-person learning amid the omicron-fueled COVID-19 surge. An approved deal would mark the end to the latest labor dispute between the school district and the union, which has been a hallmark of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s time in office.

In the meantime, schools across the district are welcoming students back to classrooms Wednesday. Teachers returned to buildings Tuesday, as electronic ballots opened for union rank-and-file members to weigh the Chicago Public Schools plan.

The proposal passed the first hurdle on Monday, when the union’s 600-member governing body, its House of Delegates, voted to suspend its temporary remote work action that led the district to cancel classes for five days. Just under two-thirds of the House of Delegates supported advancing