As COVID cases rose earlier this winter, particularly in Black and Latinx communities, CTU members at one of the hardest hit schools took a stand for the safety of their staff, students, and families. In the week before winter break, 11 students and 5 staff members at Park Manor Elementary had tested positive for COVID and roughly 70% of the school was under quarantine.

After CPS’s botched attempt to get students tested over break, the parents and CTU members of Park Manor announced that they were keeping their students home and demanded an option for remote learning in a press conference on January 3^rd. This brave act was shortly before CTU voted to work remotely across the district. Keyonna Lowe-Payton, a member of CTU and CORE at Park Manor, said that the support that CTU leadership provided was crucial: “With CTU and CORE by our side, I knew that school communities would be better in terms of COVID protocols and overall safety for our staff, students, and parents.”