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Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed local media Tuesday evening, just ahead of a vote by the Chicago Teachers Union to return to remote learning for two weeks, unless the number of positive COVID-19 cases decline or an agreement is reached with the district over safety precautions.

Watch a full replay from the hearing:聽

Lightfoot compared the situation to the movie 鈥淕roundhog Day,鈥� insisting 鈥渢here is no basis in the data, the science, or common sense for us to shut an entire system down when we can surgically do this at a school level.鈥�

Martinez emphasized the district鈥檚 empowerment of school principals: 鈥淭here is no evidence [that schools aren鈥檛 safe]. Now, what is real is cases are rising and we have said, the best solution is to do it at the school level. Our principles are empowered, our teachers are empowered, they have safety committees, we have invested in the filtration systems鈥︹��

CTU spokesman Chris Geovanis said that while some schools implement all COVID mitigation strategies, not all do.

Geovanis said the union doesn鈥檛 hold Martinez responsible for the lack of agreement and instead faults Lightfoot, who has control over the school district. 鈥淚t says nothing about Pedro. He鈥檚 not the boss,鈥� 鈥嬧�婫eovanis said, accusing the mayor of wanting to appease parents in wealthier parts of the city, saying she鈥檚 siding with 鈥渢he business class who relies on CPS for free child care.鈥�

Shortly after the press conference CTU voted to halt in-person instruction, and classes were immediately canceled on Wednesday as a result. Read Linda Jacobson鈥檚 full report on the reactions to the Tuesday evening vote.

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