Chicago officials ended a standoff over whether to cancel school for May Day protests, with the city’s public school district and its powerful teachers’ union announcing on Friday that schools will stay open on May 1 while teachers and students will still be permitted to participate in demonstrations.
The Chicago Teachers Union, one of the country’s largest and most liberal, had wanted classes called off on International Workers’ Day to allow teachers and students to join protests for workers’ rights that happen annually in the city.
But the district, Chicago Public Schools, did not want students missing school, and many parents, who in recent years have juggled child care through multiple teachers’ strikes and extended closures because of Covid, opposed the day off.
In dueling news releases on Friday, each side seemed to declare victory. School district officials stressed that an agreement with the union meant “a full instructional day.” Union leaders stressed that May 1 would be “a day of civic action,” including lessons in civic engagement and optional field trips for some schools to the May Day rally in the afternoon.
Macquline King, the district’s superintendent, said that the agreement between the two sides preserved the academic calendar. “At the same time,” she said, “the agreement honors the proud history of civic action in Chicago and beyond.”
According to the agreement, the district will try to provide at least 100 schools with bagged lunches and transportation to May Day events, including a large rally typically held in Union Park, west of downtown Chicago.
Teachers can take the day off for personal reasons, just as they would on any other day, under the agreement. And principals can arrange events or field trips that have to do with May Day, but no student or staff member can be obligated to participate.
The union had argued that teachers and students should be allowed time for protests in light of an “unprecedented national assault” this year on public education from the Trump administration.
Even before the agreement, Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former schoolteacher and C.T.U. organizer whose election was powered by union support, had indicated that he favored the union’s plans. But opposition from parents was also a political risk for Mr. Johnson, who is up for re-election next year.
“We look forward to a day of meaningful solidarity and community resistance to the forces trying to tear us apart,” Mr. Johnson said on Friday.
Julie Bosman contributed reporting.
Jacey Fortin covers a wide range of subjects for The Times, including extreme weather, court cases and state politics across the country.
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