Some Chicago schools open for student meals, teachers on strike

CHICAGO (AP) Parents and students are figuring out their options on the first day of a Chicago teachers' strike. <br /> <br /> The district is keeping some schools open, and they're serving breakfast and lunch, but there's no instruction and it's only for a half-day. <br /> <br /> At one high school, a handful of students trickled in as about two dozen teachers picketed outside. One 17-year-old said she only came to school because she didn't have anywhere else to go. <br /> <br /> The teachers union decided to hit the picket lines after it and the school district said both sides remained too far apart in contract negotiations. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the school district is asking community organizations and church, libraries and other groups to help keep the 400,000 district students busy. <br /> <br />