Return to in-person learning leads Morton District 201 School teachers union to file unfair labor practice charge

With COVID-19 positivity rates still high in the district, members of the Morton High School Council of the West Suburban Federation of Teachers [IFT Local 571] on Feb. 1 filed an unfair labor practice charge against J. Sterling Morton High School District 201.

The charge was filed in response to Superintendent Timothy Truesdale’s recent announcement that in-person learning would resume at Morton High School buildings Feb. 2, according to an Illinois Federation of Teachers news release.

“By prematurely enacting a reopening plan without first reaching agreement with our union, Dr. Truesdale and the district have left us with no choice but to take this action,” council President Anthony LaCivita said in a statement. “The law requires them to bargain over health and safety issues. In filing this ULP charge, we’re asking them to fulfill their obligation to work with us until we develop a joint plan.”

COVID-19 positivity rates in Cicero and Berwyn as of Feb. 1 are above 9%, which exceed the safety limits recommended for schools opening under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and are higher than the statewide positivity rate.

By unnecessarily returning students to the buildings, the district is increasing the health risks for teachers and students, their families, and their communities, many of which have high populations of Black and brown residents who have already been hit hard by the pandemic, the release stated.

While the district claims it has mitigated for the virus in all buildings, the union remains concerned that the employer has not adequately answered critical questions about safety measures, including whether ventilation and air quality issues have been addressed, the release stated. The union is awaiting the district’s response to the ULP charge, the release stated.

“Teachers want to be back in classrooms with our students, but this pandemic is far from being under control, so now is not the time,” LaCivita said. “With the new, more contagious variants of the virus creating additional uncertainty, it is more important than ever that Superintendent Truesdale and the District 201 board work with our union as the law requires so we can develop a safe, agreed-upon plan for returning to in-person instruction – one that includes parameters for reclosing schools if conditions worsen. That is the responsible thing to do for the safety of everyone in our schools and communities.”

District 201 serves about 8,000 students.