White House says schools should be open everywhere, 'including in Chicago'

Schools are already open in most of the United States, and the White House is encouraging the holdouts to get students into classrooms as quickly as possible. 

Some 96% of districts are beginning their spring semesters with in-person instruction, but a few big-city holdouts such as Chicago are grabbing national headlines thanks to union-led efforts to keep schools closed.

"We're going to keep our children and educators, who selflessly serve their community, safe," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki when asked about the Windy City. "[We will] ensure that children are not enduring the mental health impacts of children not being in school, that there are not gaps in learning. This includes schools everywhere, including in Chicago."

The Chicago Teachers Union voted late Tuesday night to move all classes to remote instruction, a move city officials considered an illegal strike. The city responded by canceling classes for Wednesday, and the union now claims teachers are being locked outof virtual classrooms.