THE Chicago Teachers Union in the United States has voted to defy orders to return to the classroom because of inadequate Covid safety measures.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the third-biggest school district in the US after New York and Los Angeles, wanted 10,000 teachers from nursery-age children to eighth grade (equivalent to year 9 in England and Wales or S2 in Scotland) to return to school today to prepare for the return of some students for part-time in-school classes from February 1.

The teachers’ union says the district safety plan is inadequate and wants tougher commitments on regular Covid tests for all staff and students in “hotspots,” priority vaccination for school workers and flexible schedules to minimise in-person work.

It called on teachers to work from home today, a move echoing the advice given by Britain’s National Education Union to teachers this January that forced the government to back down on its reckless plans to reopen schools. If the CPS tried to discipline staff for working remotely, the union was ready to call teachers out on strike, it said.

“There’s no doubt we all want to return to in-person instruction,” the union said. “The issue is CPS’s current unpreparedness ... and the clear and present danger that poses to the health of our families and school communities.”

The district postponed the back-to-work call to give more time for negotiations, but said teachers were still expected to return to classrooms to teach on February 1.

Despite continuing infection spikes, President Joe Biden says he aims to have a majority of schools open in his first 100 days.