The Associated Press
CHICAGO - Hundreds of thousands of Chicago public school students are returning to class after teachers ended their seven-day strike.
Sixteen-year-old Jayton Howard was on his way to Paul Robeson High School on the South Side, and he summed up his feelings in a word: "Great."
Parents were happy too. The strike in the nation's third-largest school district idled its roughly 350,000 students and left many parents scrambling to arrange alternative care for their children.
Some parents expressed hope Wednesday that the tentative contract agreement will benefit students in a district grappling with high dropout rates and poor performance.
Parent Leslie Sabbs-Kizer, referring to her children as she walked them to elementary school, said: "They'll win from the strike."
School resumes one day after the teachers union voted to suspend its first strike in a quarter century. Teachers walked off the job Sept. 10 in a dispute over job security, evaluations and other issues.
While class is in session, the district's more than 26,000 teachers and support staff still must vote on the proposed contract.
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