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Chicago Teachers Union wants May Day off so students, teachers can protest; new CPS CEO says no

By
Lauren Victory
Lauren Victory
Reporter
Lauren joined CBS News Chicago in May 2016 and is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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Lauren Victory

/ CBS Chicago

The Chicago Teachers Union wants the school district to cancel classes on May Day this year so students and teachers can attend protests, but the new CEO of Chicago Public Schools is saying no.

May Day, also called International Workers Day in the U.S., is a celebration of laborers and labor organizing that is observed on May 1 every year.  It dates back to the campaign to establish an eight-hour work day by May 1, 1886.

Every year, hundreds if not thousands of Chicagoans participate in May Day protests. This year, May 1 falls on a Friday at a time when school  is supposed to be in session.

The CTU has been talking about taking a civic day of action on May 1 for months, but they still don't have a firm answer on whether it will be granted. The union argues they and the students should get a day off to learn an important lesson outside the classroom.

"The likelihood that, you know, we need to take to protect, defend our democracy, to get ICE out of our cities, to tax the billionaires, to defend the needs of our people has increased day after day," said CTU Vice President Jackson Potter.

New CPS CEO Macquiline King said the school board will have to decide if there's class on May 1. She believes students and teachers should report to school, telling parents in a letter, "I understand and empathize with our families' frustration and confusion around this issue." 

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