Chicago teachers stay home in pay protest

January 29, 1980

Most of the city's teachers stayed home from work Monday to protest the school board's failure to give them back pay. School administrators kept the city's 647 schools open and appealed for parents to volunteer their help in supervising children who came to school. Mayor Jane M. Byrne, however, said Sunday, "I wouldn't send my child if the teachers aren't going to be there."

Board of Education officials said about an hour after the scheduled opening of school that they had "no idea" how many students or teachers had shown up.