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