The strike, announced
Sunday night, left about 350,000 students without a school to attend and
parents scrambling to find alternatives.
The school district has opened 144 of its 578 schools for part of the day to
provide a safe environment and meals to children in need. Also, dozens
of churches and civic organizations have stepped into the vacuum to
provide activities for the thousands of suddenly idle students. And
police, expecting an uptick in trouble from kids on the streets, pulled
officers from desk duty to increase patrols.
The union that represents
nearly 30,000 teachers and support staff in the nation's third-largest
school district called the strike after negotiators failed to reach a
contract agreement with school administrators despite 10 months of
negotiations.
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