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U.S. NEWS Friday 14 January 2022

Chicago teachers accept COVID deal, keeping kids in school

By SOPHIA TAREEN and tual because it feels like ev-
KATHLEEN FOODY eryone in our building is just
Associated Press getting sick and sick and
CHICAGO (AP) — Students sick," she said.
in the nation's third-largest Some schools reported be-
school district returned to ing short-staffed and lower
classrooms Wednesday af- attendance with students
ter Chicago Public Schools out sick or in required isola-
canceled five days of class- tion following close contact
es amid a standoff with the to a person with COVID-19.
teachers' union over CO- District officials said about
VID-19 safety protocols. 89% of teachers reported to
Their return happened the schools. The district's online
same day the full member- COVID-19 infection tracker
ship of the Chicago Teach- showed more than 13,000
ers Union narrowly gave students and adults were in
their stamp of approval to quarantine on Wednesday.
the hard-fought safety plan Some individual classes re-
that includes expanded verted to remote instruc-
testing and metrics to shut tion following infections in
down individual schools the two-day window stu-
during outbreaks. It passed dents returned before the
with roughly 56% of the union standoff. One school
vote. Leaders of the union Associated Press in the city's heavily-Mexi-
gave their tentative ap- a mayor that has simmered try, but the latest high-pro- posed teachers' demands can neighborhood of Little
proval two days earlier al- since the beginning of this file fight between teachers for a testing program that Village was particularly

lowing students to return. pandemic. and Lightfoot, a Democrat, could randomly test all stu- hard hit with "up to 10 class-
They urged members to Lightfoot and Schools CEO forced attention from the dents unless their parents rooms" flipping to remote
accept it, acknowledging Pedro Martinez issued a White House and gover- opted out. learning Wednesday, ac-
that teachers didn't get joint statement saying they nor's office. For parents and students cording to the district.
initial demands including were pleased with the vote The union, which voted last in Chicago, the return to Derrontae Gonzalez, the
a commitment to flip to re- and the agreement would week to revert to online schools brought mixed mother of a 5-year-old boy
mote learning districtwide guarantee "predictabil- instruction, told teachers emotions, along with staff- and a 12-year-old girl in
during a surge of COVID-19 ity and stability for the rest not to show up to schools ing and attendance issues Chicago schools, said she
infections. of the school year" in the starting Jan. 5 while talks due to infections. understands why teachers
"This vote is a clear show roughly 350,000-student dis- took place. Lightfoot has Trinity Washington, a fresh- pushed for stricter COV-
of dissatisfaction with the trict. referred to the union ac- man at a high school on ID-19 protocols. But she told
boss," Union President Jes- "We all agree we must pri- tion as an "illegal work the city's Northwest Side, The Chicago Sun-Times
se Sharkey said in a state- oritize the health and well- stoppage." Both sides filed said she supported the that the days of cancelled
ment, referring to Mayor being of everyone in our complaints with a state la- teacher's push and plans classes were difficult, par-
Lori Lightfoot. "This agree- school communities includ- bor board. to be more cautious about ticularly for her son who has
ment covers only a por- ing our kids, families, and Lightfoot — who disclosed keeping a mask on at a learning disability.
tion of the safety guaran- staff," they said. Tuesday that she had test- school. She noted that a "I'm not concerned," Gon-
tees that every one of our Chicago's struggles to keep ed positive for COVID-19 school dean has contract- zalez said of the return. "I
school communities de- educating children during and was isolating at home ed COVID-19 and is on a think the school takes pre-
serve ... Our members' vote the omicron variant's surge — repeatedly refused to ventilator. cautions to make sure kids
today represents a union's, are similar to those faced agree to remote learning "I feel like everyone should are safe. And I make sure
and a city's, frustration with by districts across the coun- districtwide. She also op- just go home and stay vir- my kids have masks."q

Manatee feeding experiment starts

slowly as cold looms

By CURT ANDERSON animals will eat it in captiv- Florida Fish and Wildlife
Associated Press ity, officials said on a news Conservation Commission
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — conference held remotely. and the U.S. Fish and Wild-
An unprecedented, ex- Water pollution from agri- life Service. It remains a
perimental attempt to feed cultural, urban and other violation of state and fed-
manatees facing starva- sources has triggered al- eral law for people to feed
tion in Florida has started gae blooms that have dec- manatees on their own.
slowly but wildlife officials imated seagrass beds on "We have not documented
expressed optimism Thurs- which manatees depend, animals foraging on the
day that it will work as cold leading to a record 1,101 lettuce," said Ron Mezich,
weather drives the marine manatee deaths largely chief of the joint effort's
mammals toward warmer from starvation in 2021. The provisioning branch. Associated Press
waters. typical five-year average is "We know manatees will and power plant discharg- are not being pressed by
A feeding station estab- about 625 deaths. eat lettuce." es. Because this winter has cold temperatures yet,"
lished along the state's east That brought about the let- During winter months, hun- been unusually mild in Flori- said Tom Reinert, south
coast has yet to entice wild tuce feeding program, part dreds of manatees tend da so far, the animals have regional director for the
manatees with romaine of a joint manatee death to congregate in warmer been more dispersed. FWC. "We expect that to
lettuce even though the response group led by the waters from natural springs "They're moving, but they happen."q