Chance the Rapper threw his support behind the Chicago Teachers Union Monday on Twitter as the union continues to work towards an agreement with Chicago Public Schools over reopening.
“I’m praying for all the teachers and staff in Chicago today,” he wrote in a tweet. “This s- - - is unfair and unsafe.”
I’m praying for all the teachers and staff in Chicago today. This shit is unfair and unsafe.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) February 1, 2021
The Chicago native is a graduate of Jones College Prep, located downtown. He has been a vocal advocate of the Chicago Teachers Union over the years. He supported the teachers throughout the 2019 strike and wore a bright red CTU shirt while hosting “Saturday Night Live” during the strike that October.
“I fully support you,” he said at the time. “I just wish that when I was in school, my teachers had gone on a strike.”
The school system put off the planned return of up to 67,000 preschool through eighth-grade students who opted in for in-person learning — about one-third of those children who were eligible — until Tuesday. But there were no assurances another day would bring a greater possibility of classes resuming.
Elementary and middle school teachers were required to report to schools Monday to teach their students virtually. If they don’t show up in-person, they’ll be locked out of remote work moving forward and no longer paid, officials said. The teachers union has already voted to strike if its members are locked out.
Negotiations between the district and the union are still ongoing.
Contributing: Nader Issa and Tom Schuba
