Chicago Public Schools Proposes 'Hybrid' Reopening Plan For Fall

CHICAGO – Chicago Public School official announce a proposed "hybrid" blueprint for reopening schools in the fall that calls for a mix of online and in-person learning in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot stressed to parents that the proposed blue-print aims to give them options during an unprecedented time for public schools due to the coronavirus crisis. The decision is not final.

“Whatever happens, and whatever form this challenge takes, I want everyone to know that education will happen this fall. School will happen this fall," the mayor said at a Friday news conference.

Most students would attend in-school classes twice a week with staggered start times.

They would be required to undergo daily temperature checks, wear masks throughout the school day, practice social distancing and take regular handwashing breaks. In most cases students in kindergarten through 10th grade would attend school two consecutive days, receive real-time virtual instruction with their classroom teacher on Wednesdays, and spend two days learning independently at home, school officials said.

During in-school classes, students would be grouped in to "pods" of no more than 15 to reduce potential exposure to the coronavirus, officials said. The student pods would remain together in the same classroom with the same teacher throughout the day.

High school freshmen and sophomores would follow the hybrid model. Junior and seniors are slated to participate in remote learning classes.

Back of the Yards College Prep principal Patricia Brekke, who spoke at the Friday news conference, described the hybrid-learning model as the "right balance" for students at the Southwest Side high school.

"My hope is that having some face-to-face time and instruction will help set the tone for my freshmen and sophomore students," she said. "It will help us continue to build school culture, and most importantly, it will help them how to learn at home efficiently and effectively.”

Pre-kindergarten students would attend in-school classes every day. Students in special education clusters and English-language learning programs also would go to school every day under the proposal.

CPS officials said parents would have the option to opt-out of in-school learning. New procedures for accommodating leave-of absence requests by teachers and staff with medical or "care-taking needs" will be rolled out in late July.

Read CPS's complete proposed hybrid-learning framework plan for reopening schools this fall.

In preparation for in-school classes, CPS has purchased:

• More than 1.2 million reusable cloth face masks for students and teachers
• 40,000 containers of disinfectant wipes and 42,000 hand sanitizer dispensers
• Hospital-grade disinfectant sprayers
• More than 1 million disposable masks, tens of thousands of gowns, face shields for other school staff including nurses, food service staff, bus aides, security guards and building engineers.

The school board also plans to hire 400 custodians to help implement new deep-cleaning and disinfecting protocols. The efforts include stocking soap dispensers and hand-sanitizing stations, cleaning bathrooms and high-traffic areas, along with "high-touch" points such as door handles, light switches, banisters and pencil sharpeners several times each day.

“Our framework is designed to maximize critical instructional time while prioritizing the health and safety of students and staff,” CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya D. McDade said in a statement. "As a next step, we are eager to hear and incorporate feedback from families to ensure we have the best possible plan in place to meet the needs of all students.”

The school system launched an online survey to get feedback from parents, students, teachers and staff, and plans to hold five virtual feedback meetings.