CHICAGO, IL (WAFF) -
Thousands of Chicago school teachers are walking off the job.
It's the first time a strike has happened in the nation's 3rd largest school district in 25 years.
After days of negotiations, more than 26,000 teachers and staff members are going on strike.
The teacher's union and public school board have been going back and forth over many issues, including classroom sizes, pay, benefits, and job security.
Late Sunday night, those talks failed.
The strike announcement was made just two hours before the deadline for signing a new contract.
"This is a difficult decision and one we hoped we could have avoided. Throughout these negotiations, we have remained hopeful, but determined. We must do things differently in this city if we are to provide our students with the education they so rightfully deserve," said Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has also been pushing for tough new reforms that include longer school terms and a change in salaries.
This strike will affect about 400,000 school children.
As of now, those students and their parents are waiting to find out when they can go back to school.
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