As many as 1,200 elementary school principals, administrators, and principals have walked off the job in recent days, with teachers still holding out hope for a negotiated deal.
The strike has taken place amid a national wave of teacher protests that have left teachers and administrators across the country in lockdown for days and forced schools to cancel classes, closing them for the summer.
The teachers have been demanding that schools stay open for their children to learn.
A group of parents have been pushing for a two-year agreement between the district and the teachers union.
The two sides are scheduled to meet again in August, but that hasn’t happened yet, according to multiple sources.
A spokesperson for the teachers’ union did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, saying the union will not comment on individual talks.
The Chicago Teachers Union says it has reached a deal with the district.
The agreement is for two years, and would give teachers a $1,500 bonus for every month of a two year contract, which is the same amount the teachers receive in their regular paycheck.
According to the union, teachers have received a total of $6,000 in compensation for the two-plus years of the contract.
The strike has affected more than 1,000 elementary school students, according a school resource officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn’t authorized to speak on the record.
The school resource officers are tasked with monitoring the safety and wellbeing of students.
The district has offered a $25,000 incentive for students to stay home from school to avoid disruption, according the Chicago Sun-Times.
Teachers have been on strike since March.
On Friday, teachers walked out of school and were met with a mix of police and students, including some who were arrested, including one man who was held on charges of assaulting a police officer.
The officer who was attacked was later charged with second-degree assault.
Teachers are calling for an end to the school lockdown, which they say is hurting students and disrupting academic performance.
In response, Chicago Public Schools released a statement Monday saying the district is committed to a two month agreement with the teachers, which includes the payment of bonuses.
Chicago Public Schools says the district will provide up to $5,000 per month to teachers and school administrators for their time spent on the job.
Teacher unions have long complained that the district spends too little on its schools, with the school district’s financials showing that over the last five years, it has spent more than $7 billion on education.
