Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is insisting that students of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) resume in-person learning, as the city makes little progress in an effort to reach a deal with Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) to reopen schools that have been closed since last spring. The CPS, which serves over 355,000 students, is aiming to reopen K-8 schools on Feb. 1 for an estimated 71,000 children in those grades who wish to learn in person, as part of a phased-in school reopening plan. The union-backed teachers, citing safety concerns due to the ongoing CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, refuse to teach classes inside school buildings and have threatened to go on a strike. “We wish we were here to announce that a deal has finally been struck. But sadly, another day has passed and the CTU has not agreed to anything,” Lightfoot said Friday at a press conference. “The CTU …