Chicago Public Schools officials are planning to resume in-person classes for elementary school students at the start of February in the most concrete move yet to restart traditional schooling after what will have been an unprecedented, nearly yearlong interruption, according to sources with knowledge of the district’s plans.
The decision comes amid increasing public health uncertainty as the city’s spread of COVID-19 infections reaches an all-time high and the school system faces heavy scrutiny from the teachers union and anxious parents. Officials relayed their plans to principals on a conference call Tuesday afternoon. A public announcement has not been made but could come later in the evening.
Employing a phased-in return that initially was expected as soon as November, the district told principals that it plans to bring back preschool students and children in special education cluster programs Jan. 11, and all other kindergarten through eighth grade students Feb. 1, sources said. Pre-K and cluster staff will go back to work Jan. 4, and elementary school teachers will return with their students at the start of February.
Families will have the option to continue remote learning. CPS plans to send an opt-in form Nov. 23, and the deadline for students to let the district know whether they’ll attend in-person classes will be Dec. 7, sources said. School administrators will find out the following week how many of their students have decided to return to school.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson announced last month their intent to bring back preschool and and some special education students during the second academic quarter. Feb. 1 is the last Monday in the second quarter.
While Lightfoot and Jackson hoped to reopen schools sooner, and city health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady remained confident that students and staff can be kept safe at schools, the raging pandemic has at least slightly delayed their plans.
Chicago’s seven-day average test positivity stood at 16% Tuesday, the highest since mid-May when the first stage of the pandemic had forced unprecedented school closures and a stay-at-home order. The average daily caseload grew to 2,296, up 31% since last week.
Arwady said Tuesday that coronavirus cases at schools have gone up in the past week following increased community spread.
While CPS classes are not being held in-person, a CPS database shows there were 56 confirmed cases among adults that forced at least partial interruptions at the district’s 500-plus schools in the week ending Nov. 7, the most recent available. School clerks and tech coordinators have been reporting to work in-person the entire school year.
The Chicago Teachers Union has strongly opposed reopening schools while the pandemic continues to spread through the city.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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November 18, 2020 at 04:54AM
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CPS to bring back elementary students Feb. 1, sources say - Chicago Sun-Times
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