CHICAGO (AP) — Most Chicago students return to school Tuesday, but they could find themselves out of the classroom again in less than a week.
The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools are in a standoff over contract talks, and union President Karen Lewis says more than 26,000 teachers and support staff in the nation's third-largest school district are prepared to strike Sept. 10.
It would be the first big-city strike in the U.S. since Detroit teachers walked off the job for 16 days in 2006. The last Chicago teachers strike was in 1987 and lasted 19 days.
Parents say they're worried about their children falling behind academically. They're also worried about who will watch their children in neighborhoods beset by gangs and struggling with a spike in shootings and homicides.
