Chicago Public Schools Hosts Feedback Meetings This Week on Reopening Plan

Chicago Public Schools is hosting several virtual meetings this week to discuss feedback on the district’s reopening plans for the fall. The first one was held Monday morning, reports NBC Chicago.

The district’s reopening framework includes plans for a hybrid model of learning that combines in-person learning and remote learning for students in kindergarten through 10th grade. Both half and full day pre-K programs will learn at school while juniors and seniors will learn entirely at home.

Under the hybrid model students will be placed in “pods” of about 15 students during the school day in order to minimize exposure and support rapid contract tracing if a student should get COVID-19. Pods will be given assigned homerooms with assigned seating and will use the same designated spaces in buildings.

Each pod would spend the same two days each week at school and the same two days at home. Every Wednesday, students would participate in real-time virtual instruction with their teacher.

The district’s plan also includes “rigorous public health protocols” including a requirement for masks, daily health screenings, temperature checks and hiring more custodians.

CPS is seeking feedback from the community before making any final decisions in August. CPS launched a survey for families, students and staff to submit feedback by July 31, which can be found here.

CPS will hold virtual meetings, three in English and two in Spanish, to solicit feedback as well. Registration is required to participate in the meetings which will be held each day this week.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.