A planned May Day boycott is putting Chicago Public Schools at the center of a growing political and educational fight.

The latest: Labor leaders are calling for a boycott and demonstration on May Day (May 1), asking Chicagoans to avoid shopping, working and attending school.

• The Chicago Teachers Union has lobbied new CPS CEO Macquline King to close public schools that day so teachers and students could join protests.
• On Wednesday, King said she would not cancel school. But by yesterday, multiple outlets reported that she reversed course after speaking with Mayor Brandon Johnson.
• Late last night, she again changed direction, saying the kids would be in class.

Between the lines: The day of civic action is already on the CPS calendar — but not as a day off. According to CTU, it was negotiated in their latest contract and they've been urging CPS to cancel classes for a May Day protest for over a year.

• CPS wants the kids in school for labor history lessons and other learning opportunities.

Zoom in: CTU is reportedly lobbying CPS to move a "Professional Development Day," already on the books for June, to May 1.

• The switch would make May 1 a no-attendance day without reducing total instructional time.

Friction point: Critics are raising concerns about tying a day off to a political protest.

What they're saying: "Anyone not part of some ideological bunker can plainly see the CTU for what it is: A radical political movement," the Trib's editorial board wrote Wednesday.

• "Our students have something to say, and we as educators have a responsibility to speak up and support them in finding their voice," CTU leaders wrote in an email to members last night.

What's next: King's decision to keep students in school could be overruled by the Chicago Board of Education.

Go deeper

This weekend's EXPO Chicago showcases galleries and artists from around the world. But to see some of them, you'll have to venture beyond the usual venues.

Why it matters: EXPO is an opportunity for the art world to engage with revered institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago and a vibrant collector base from across the Midwest. But so much of the action happens beyond the fair's Navy Pier walls.

Case in point: Mirka Serrato has turned her rental apartment at Astor Court in the Gold Coast into Neighbors, an exhibition space for 15 artists and galleries from Chicago, Dallas, LA, Milwaukee, New York and London.

State of play: Shanghai Seminary, based in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, features Caitlyn Min-ji Au's all-encompassing work in the bathroom and taps into the water line for a playful, interactive element in the piece.

Context: This year's EXPO at Navy Pier features fewer booths than previous years, about 130 compared with 170, and is the first fair under new director Kate Sierzputowski.

• The smaller format is meant to feel more intimate for fairgoers but by no means less exciting than in the past, Sierzputowski tells Axios.

The bottom line: A major art fair like EXPO doesn't detract from the scene, but amplifies it. This was clear at Neighbors, where a steady stream of visitors funneled through, chatting with artists and galleries about the work.

Send to an art lover

The Chicago Park District and DCASE launched the Monument Response Project this week with the installation of two temporary works that comment on legacy statues near the lake at Belmont and Diversey.

Why it matters: The works are intended to provide context for some of the 41 monuments deemed problematic by a city commission.

Zoom in: Both new works have links to Native Americans.

Hector Gonzalez created "Tierra Nuestra" (Our Land), featuring a young man of mixed Mexican and Native American heritage standing on a horse, with a boom box on his arm, in front of the current "Signal of Peace" monument at Diversey and the lake.

Sonja Henderson and Sadie Woods present "We Still Here," featuring a soundscape and two mesh horns covered in bison symbols next to the Gen. Philip Sheridan statue at Belmont and the lake.

• The horns honor the thousands of bison killed as part of Sheridan's campaigns to defeat Southern Plains Tribes.

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🌈 Rainbow PUSH has chosen Yusef Jackson, the son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, to take over as president and CEO of the organization. (Sun-Times)

🚨 Shootings in the city have ticked up in the first quarter of 2026, marking the first increase in four years. (Tribune)

⚽️ A new soccer bar opens next week in West Town, in the old Twisted Spoke building. (Block Club)

After winning Olympic Gold in 2020 and acing the Chicago River swim last summer, Glenview native Olivia Smoliga is plunging back into elite training with an eye on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

What she's saying: "After founding In Depth Swim Academy and mentoring young athletes over the last two years, my perspective toward the sport shifted," she tells Axios.

• "I was able to see swimming through the eyes of a beginner again and I felt refreshed."

River talk: She said winning the first River Swim felt "nostalgic and monumental."

• "I've always wanted to swim in the river. It was a huge catalyst for my return to competition, too."

State of play: Smoliga is back in town this weekend to lead programs at her In Depth Swim Academy, so we asked her to describe her ideal Chicago day.

🌅 Morning Activity: "My perfect morning begins before sunrise at the Sauna Club's lakeside sauna at Evanston Beach. Moving between the 190° wood-burning sauna and a refreshing dip in Lake Michigan, all before the sun peeks over the horizon, is a 10/10."

🥞 Breakfast: "Walker Brothers Original Pancake House on Green Bay Road for an order of chocolate chippies and the Southwest crepes."

🌊. Afternoon Activity: "North Avenue Beach to swim in Lake Michigan with my friends at N.A.S.T.Y. (North Avenue Swim & Triathlon, Yo!) against the Chicago skyline."

More of Olivia's best day ever

👋 Hey, it's Justin with another Kaufmann quiz!

I've always been from the streets. Or wait, was I from the avenues? Or the boulevards?

Today's quiz: What kind of road is it? I'll give you a name and you tell me if it's a street, avenue or boulevard.

Flashback: Last week's dive bar quiz was a hit. Congrats to Megan P., Quinlan K., Duane L., Matt R., Timothy A., Mary G. and Kim G.

Take the street quiz here!