Reopening plan for Chicago schools calls for a mix of in-person and online instruction

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and school district officials call the plan a “preliminary framework” that could change based on how the coronavirus pandemic evolves between now and early September when schools will open their doors.

Janice Jackson, the district's CEO, says the district tried to make a plan that’s “flexible and capable of delivering high-quality instruction whether students are learning from home or at school.”

[MORE: Read Chicago Public Schools 2020 Reopening Plans]

As the plan now stands, about half of Chicago students will be in schools on any given day. Most teachers and staff will be in schools at least four days a week.

Half of the students in kindergarten through 10th grade will attend school Mondays and Tuesdays, and the other half will attend Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays will feature virtual lessons while schools are disinfected.

Students will be placed into groups of 15 at school. Each “pod” will stay in an assigned classroom with assigned seating in desks placed at least six feet apart “where feasible,” the district says.

Having high school juniors and seniors on a full-time online schedule will keep another 50,000 people out of buildings to enable easier social distancing.

The city says it has bought 1.2 million reusable cloth face masks for students and staff members and 40,000 containers of disinfectant wipes. The district is also pledging to put 42,000 hand sanitizer dispensers in classrooms and high traffic areas, and to hand out 22,000 touchless thermometers for health screenings.

Reopening plan for Chicago schools calls for a mix of in-person and online instruction

Mike Kennedy | Senior Editor

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