Chicago Public Schools to begin school year remotely

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has announced that its more than 355,000 students will be starting the school year with remote learning.

Last month, the district released tentative plans for students to return in the fall with a hybrid schedule where they would attend in-person class a couple days a week. The district has reversed those plans due to increased cases of COVID-19 in the city and results from a recent survey, which revealed that many parents were not comfortable with sending their kids to school. 

School officials say that free grab-and-go meals will still be available to students and that the district will release more information about what the semester will look like before school starts in early September. CPS is also working with the Chicago Department of Health to see if students will be able to return to a hybrid schedule when the second semester starts in early November. 

Earlier this summer, Los Angeles Unified School District and San Diego Unified School District also announced plans to start the school year remotely due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.