(WTTW News)

The Chicago Teachers Union will officially have a new leader as vice president Stacy Davis Gates defeated two other challengers to become president of the powerful labor organization.

Outgoing CTU president Jesse Sharkey appears on “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom, Feb. 08, 2022. (WTTW News)

Jesse Sharkey’s time in leadership has been marked by multiple teacher’s strikes, a contentious relationship with City Hall, and a protracted pandemic. In announcing his departure, Sharkey acknowledged the difficulties of the job, both politically and personally.

CTU President Jesse Sharkey outlines his union’s contract demands in a press conference inside City Hall on Jan. 15, 2019. (WTTW News)

After more than three years as head of the CTU, Jesse Sharkey will be stepping down at the conclusion of his current term on June 30, he announced Wednesday.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)
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Under a new statewide compromise, public school and higher ed employees across Illinois won’t have to expend their sick time if they are forced to miss work due to COVID-19 — as long as they’re fully vaccinated.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)
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Rank-and-file CTU members on Wednesday signed off on the deal, two days after the union’s elected delegates voted to suspend a labor action that saw the vast majority of teachers refusing to work in person amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.

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Efforts to use COVID-19 testing to ensure outbreaks could be stamped out before they catch fire was at the heart of the dispute between school officials and union leaders.

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Chicago students are set to return to their classrooms this week after several days at home as the city and Chicago Teachers Union have reached a compromise on new COVID-19 mitigations inside schools.

A sign supporting the Chicago Teachers Union during its car caravan rally on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (WTTW News)

While a few school buildings may be open to students, Chicago Public Schools has once again canceled classes as negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union continue. 

(WTTW News)

Chicago Public Schools students will stay at home for a second consecutive day Thursday, as the district has once again canceled classes after the Chicago Teachers Union voted to begin working remotely.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)
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The Chicago Teachers Union is set to vote Tuesday evening on a labor action that would see its 25,000 members work fully remotely beginning Wednesday. If that measure is approved, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said he’ll have no choice but to cancel classes.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)
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“We’re gonna have to see what happens with omicron, but I do not expect that we will be making plans to move entirely remotely and certainly not for extended periods, even if that were a thing,” Dr. Allison Arwady said Thursday.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez on Wednesday said his team is beginning to set up plans and solidify a specific health metric that can be used to decide when to shut down in-person learning within a school or across the district itself.

(WTTW News)

Classes for Chicago Public Schools students will be canceled Friday, Nov. 12 to allow families an opportunity to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19, now that the vaccine has been approved for kids ages 5 to 11.

A young student wears a mask while working on a laptop. (WTTW News)
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Chicago Public Schools will welcome students back to the classroom in less than two weeks, as the delta variant of COVID-19 is driving the number of infections up across the city. The rising case count has put another wedge between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Students sit masked and socially distanced in a CPS classroom. (WTTW News)
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Students and teachers at Chicago Public Schools head back to the classroom this month. We speak with the district’s interim CEO and an official from the health department about returning to school as COVID-19 cases rise.

Urban Prep Englewood campus (artistmac / Flickr)

Thirty-four Urban Prep Charter Academy teachers walked off the job Monday morning, weeks after a unanimous vote to strike over pay raises and an alleged refusal by the charter operator to provide some legally-mandated special education services.