CHICAGO — Chicago teachers have started voting on whether they’ll return to in-person class next week ahead of elementary students’ return.

The Chicago Teachers Union has opposed reopening plans over safety concerns, saying Chicago Public Schools isn't doing enough to protect educators.

The union's House of Delegates approved a resolution for teachers for kindergarten through 8th grade to stay home Monday and teach remotely.

Union members started voting on the plan Thursday, the first of a three-day vote. But officials in the nation's third-largest school district say failure to show up for class as expected amounts to “an illegal strike.”