Young Chicago students begin return to classroom learning

Chicago Public Schools students began their return to the classroom Monday as school doors opened to thousands of pre-kindergarten and some special education students.

The nation’s third-largest district, with about 355,000 students, plans a gradual return to in-person instruction after going remote last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pre-kindergarten and some special education students can return this week or continue online learning. Students in kindergarten through 8th grade have the option Feb. 1. No date has been set for high school students' return.

“It is our city’s first day of embarking on our path to returning to in-person learning,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a Southwest Side elementary school where students wore face coverings and desks had sneeze guard barriers.

A preschool student gets his temperature checked as he walks into Dawes Elementary School in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Monday was the first day of optional in-person learning for preschoolers and some special education students in Chicago Public Schools after going remote last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Ashlee Rezin GarciaChicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool)

Nearly 40% of eligible students, about 77,000, expressed interest in returning, with about 6,000 students in pre-kindergarten and special education expected Monday. District officials didn't immediately release data on how many students returned or how many teachers reported to work.

The Chicago Teachers Union has opposed reopening over safety concerns. CPS officials say teachers who don't show up without prior approval will be punished. About 4,300 teachers and staff were expected Monday.

Union officials claim the district hasn’t done enough to protect teachers from COVID-19, proposing to continue distance learning until teachers are vaccinated.

Elementary 1 and 2 teachers sit outside of Suder Montessori Magnet Elementary School in solidarity with pre-K educators forced back into the building in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (Anthony VazquezChicago Sun-Times via AP)

District officials argue distance learning doesn’t work well for all, particularly many Black and Latino students who make up the majority of the district. The district’s safety plan includes purchasing classroom air purifiers and a testing program.

Some union leaders have mulled the possibility of a strike; CTU's last walkout was in 2019. A plan approved Monday by state legislators could give the union more power in fighting reopening and future contract negotiations.

The legislation repeals part of an educational labor law that has limited collective bargaining rights for the Chicago union since 1995. If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs it, the union can negotiate with the city over more issues, including class size. Pritzker, a Democrat, said Monday that he would review the measure. He has previously favored the idea.

Pre-kindergarten teacher Angela Panush reads a story to her students at Dawes Elementary in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Chicago Public Schools students began their return to the classroom Monday as school doors opened to thousands of pre-kindergarten and some special education students after going remote last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Ashlee Rezin GarciaChicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool)

Lightfoot has said repealing the law now could “impair” reopening efforts. Last month, a state labor court rejected CTU's injunction to halt reopening and cited the 1995 provision as a reason.

Illinois logged 4,776 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 infections on Monday, along with 53 related deaths. Overall, the state has reported more than 1 million cases and 17,627 deaths.

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A pre-kindergarten student washes his hands at Dawes Elementary in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Chicago Public Schools students began their return to the classroom Monday as school doors opened to thousands of pre-kindergarten and some special education students after going remote last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Ashlee Rezin GarciaChicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool)

This story has been corrected to show the return date for K-8 students is Feb. 1, not next week.

Pre-kindergarten students listen as their teacher reads a story at Dawes Elementary in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Chicago Public Schools students began their return to the classroom Monday as school doors opened to thousands of pre-kindergarten and some special education students after going remote last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Ashlee Rezin GarciaChicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool)

Signs are taped to the fencing outside of Suder Montessori Magnet Elementary School as teachers start their virtual classes outside of the school in solidarity with pre-K educators forced back into the building in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (Anthony VazquezChicago Sun-Times via AP)

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is to rule on Monday in a case involving 10 people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, allegations her daughter said damaged her health and family life.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting “numerous malicious comments” falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.

FILE - French President's wife Brigitte Macron arrives ahead of the ceremony outside "La Belle Equipe" bar, Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 in Paris as part of ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)