Thechallenge of reopening schoolsfor in-person instruction amid a coronavirus surge fueled by the Omicron variant deepened on Wednesday, with Chicago teachers refusing to return to the classroom aftera union voteTuesday night. The city’s school superintendent in turndeclinedto allow them to teach remotely, instead canceling school for 330,000 children in the nation’s third-largest school district.
President Biden has repeatedly said he wants schools to stay open, in recognition of thedamage that remote learning has done to childrenand the low risk of transmission in schools. The president couldn’t be clearer schools in this country should remain open, White House pandemic response team coordinator Jeff Zients said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
