Anxious students feeling pinch amid Chicago teachers’ strike

CHICAGO (AP) — Deadlines that could affect both Chicago students and striking teachers are looming over talks to resolve a walkout that has canceled classes for 11 days in the nation’s third-largest school district.

High school students are trying to meet Friday deadlines to submit early applications to colleges without access to their teachers or counselors, while athletic teams have been prevented from participating in playoff games.

Chicago’s teachers union voted to approve a tentative contract agreement with city officials Wednesday but refused to end a strike that has canceled two weeks of classes unless the city’s mayor adds school days to cover that lost time.

Teachers, meanwhile, could lose health insurance coverage at the start of November. Union leaders said this week that their 25,000 members will have to weigh the “risks and rewards” of continuing.