With Chicago Public Schools still closed because of a citywide teachers strike, most parents can agree that students should return to the classroom as soon as possible. But exactly how long the strike should last is a more contested question.

Other parents who support the Chicago Teachers Union say they are willing to hold out until educators are satisfied with the city’s proposal, whenever that may be.

As the strike in the nation’s third-largest school district continues, Tribune reporters checked in with families to see how the walkout has affected them and if their opinions have changed.

‘They should be in school'

Lianna Rosa, a mother of four boys in Englewood, said she didn’t support the teachers when they first walked out of the classroom Oct. 17, and she doesn’t support them now.

Rosa has three children in CPS, and her youngest, 4, is too young to attend. But her other sons, ages 15, 12 and 9, like going to school, and they have been feeling “down” since class has been canceled, Rosa said.

Rosa was able to switch her work schedule so she can be at home with her children during the day, and they are with their father when she goes to clean homes at night. Most of her clients have been understanding, she said.

But Rosa said she is concerned about other neighborhood children she’s seen walking alone during the day.

“We don’t live in a safe neighborhood, and I have seen a lot of kids wandering around in the cold, and you can just tell they are bored," she said. “They should be in school instead.”

Another devastating effect of the strike was the cancellation of her eldest son’s first homecoming dance, Rosa said. She does not anticipate it will be rescheduled. Her son, 15, is a freshman at Englewood STEM High School, which opened this year following the controversial closure of other Englewood schools.

“I bought him nice clothes and nice shoes hoping he would have a nice date,” Rosa said. “It’s just little things, but they are big things to the children.”

‘This is also extremely unfair to the teachers’

Katie Bermingham, who has two daughters in CPS, said she was behind teachers when they started the walkout and remains a supporter. She said she applauds the teachers union’s mission to improve school conditions citywide. Her daughters attend Lane Tech College Prep High School and Bell School.

“On the North Side, we are more well-equipped to deal with the shortcomings that CPS has created in the schools, so I know the importance of getting this settled across the entire school district,” said Bermingham, 48. “And I think the CTU is being shown in a bad light.”

Bermingham has been able to work from home a few times during the week and has the flexibility to leave the office early if she needs, so child care has not been a challenge. When she’s not home to look after her youngest daughter, a fifth grader, her 16-year-old has stepped up and also offers to watch other children in their neighborhood, Roscoe Village.

Although her high school daughter was missing the PSAT on Wednesday, Bermingham said the teen is laid back and not too concerned about it. Her youngest was upset that volleyball practices and tournaments were canceled, but Bermingham said the experience is a good life lesson for both of her girls.

“I hear a lot of parents saying how unfair it is to the kids, and I get that frustration, but this is also extremely unfair to the teachers,” said Bermingham, who’s director of franchising at Potbelly Sandwich Works. “I think it’s OK for students to feel disappointed.”

Bermingham said she will defer to teachers on when it’s appropriate to call off the strike.

“I try not to second-guess what their decisions are,” she said.

‘This strike is taking too long’

Farra Weber supports the teachers union but wants the strike to end.

Weber, 34, of Edison Park, was out with teachers at picket lines in the beginning, she said. She held up a sign saying, “We support you.”

Her 6-year-old daughter, Mia, is a kindergartener at Ebinger Elementary School, where she is in a class of 35 students with one teacher’s assistant.

“I fully supported the teachers union,” Weber said. “However, this strike is taking too long and kids need to get back in the classroom and start learning again.”

With the strike stretching on, Weber and her husband are worried about finances. Her husband, a CPS teacher, last was paid Friday. He’s been picking up jobs around the neighborhood and does real estate on the side.

Weber works part time as a hairdresser and is a newly licensed Realtor but hasn’t been able to network because of watching Mia and her 2-year-old.

To keep Mia entertained, Weber takes her to the gym, where Mia can do arts and crafts while Weber works out. Weber said she also has taken on the role of teacher with Mia, working on reading, writing and ABCmouse.

But Mia is starting to regress in her learning because of being out of class for so long.

“She forgot how to make the sound of the letter 'N',” Weber said. “Before, she could have definitely done all the sounds of the alphabet.”

‘Being at school is like a safe haven for most of the children’

Theresa Pierce knows some students in her South Shore neighborhood come home to empty houses.

School and sports are the only structure many students there have, said Pierce, 39. Because of the strike, some kids have gotten into trouble, she said.

Pierce and her husband know their son is fortunate to have had both parents with him his whole life, she said. He’s a 16-year-old junior and a captain of Phillips High School’s football team.

“Being at school is like a safe haven for most of the children,” she said. “I understand what the teachers are asking for, but at the same time they are also hurting the children that they are saying they need support for.”

So Pierce and her husband, Michael Pierce, are trying to help keep their son Deavion’s friends busy. They’ve taken Deavion and two of his friends out to practice football.

Deavion has a personal trainer whom he’s been seeing five days a week during the strike, Pierce said. He goes to the gym Saturday and Sunday. They make sure he does homework and an hour of reading each day to stay on top of his studies. Pierce said she’s concerned how the strike may affect his grades and his PSAT scores.

Other kids come to their home, and Pierce said she wishes she could help every kid who needed it.

They’re concerned that if his team can’t play their scheduled game this week, then they may not make playoffs, which could prevent some seniors from getting a last look by recruiters, Pierce said. They’re 7-1 this year, but they dropped spots in the rankings due to missing a game.

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