School Districts That Never Opened Are Having Trouble Now
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Chicago Teachers Union leaders appear outside City Hall with a list of their demands and a box of coal in December. As of Tuesday, the union has failed to reach an agreement with Chicago Public Schools on a return to in-person learning.
(Max Herman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Diana Muhammad, who teaches PE and dance in Chicago Public Schools, was unsure, uncertain and reluctant about her district s plan for in-person classes starting Monday. At a Chicago Teachers Union press conference earlier this month, she said the plan felt rushed. And then things got really scary.
Originally published on January 27, 2021 9:59 am
Diana Muhammad, who teaches PE and dance in Chicago Public Schools, was unsure, uncertain and reluctant about her district s plan for in-person classes starting Monday. At a Chicago Teachers Union press conference earlier this month, she said the plan felt rushed. And then things got really scary. Over the winter break, my life was devastated when my daughter, who was sick with various symptoms all over the place for an entire week, woke up one morning and could not see.
Her daughter ended up in intensive care for a week, she said. It turned out to be a case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C. That s an extremely rare, and very dangerous, complication of COVID-19 found in children, particularly in Black and Latino children. Noting this disparate impact, and the fact that Chicago Public School students are about 90% nonwhite, Muhammad said, Now I am seriously concerned about us rushing back without having a we
Chicago Teachers Union leaders appear outside City Hall with a list of their demands and a box of coal in December. As of Tuesday, the union has failed to reach an agreement with Chicago Public Schools on a return to in-person learning. Max Herman/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Chicago Teachers Union leaders appear outside City Hall with a list of their demands and a box of coal in December. As of Tuesday, the union has failed to reach an agreement with Chicago Public Schools on a return to in-person learning.
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SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST: President Biden has said he wants as many public schools as possible to open in his first 100 days. But those districts that have remained remote up to now are facing serious blowback as they try to open their doors. In Chicago, teachers are moving closer to a strike this morning. And in Montclair, N.J., earlier this week, teachers refused to come to school. Anya Kamenetz of our NPR education team has been following these showdowns, and she joins us now. Good morning, Anya.
Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 89 Years
By Mario A. Cortez
The Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce has a lot to look forward to this weekend. Founded in 1927, the local business association will be celebrating its 89th anniversary today, Friday, February 19 with a gala dinner at the Bonita Golf Club.
Lisa Cohen, CEO of the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce, has been at the helm of this organization since September of 2001. After 15 years of leading the chamber, Cohen recalled some of the challenges that local businesses in Chula Vista have faced over the years.
“We had a huge downturn of business licenses during the 2007-2008 economic recession. The City of Chula Vista lost almost half of its businesses. Since then, we have always been working on helping businesses that are currently in town, helping these expand, as well as bringing new businesses to Chula Vista,” Cohen shared with La Prensa San Diego.