Virtual classes for CPS to being April 13 as COVID-19 outbreak continues

Mayor Lightfoot and CPS laid out their plans Monday night as the school district prepares to start virtual classes, potentially for the rest of the year.

As of right now, school is still set to return mid-April, but that may not be the case for long. 

Starting April 6, parents and guardians will hear from their children's school as they prepare to roll out there remote learning lesson plans.

Mayor Lightfoot says there are no plans in place for students to start school later than April 21.

“What happens with the schools being physically open, is determined at the state level not at the local level and we haven’t been told either way by the Illinois Board of Education,” said Mayor Lightfoot.

Mayor Lightfoot says as of now, 355,000 Chicago Public School students will be back in the classroom on April 21.

CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson was hesitant to say that the date could be pushed back.

“COVID-19 is completely unpredictable and things have changed rapidly,” said Dr. Jackson.

Students can’t be in the classroom physically, but they will have to show up virtually.

The Illinois Board of Education rolled out remote learning statewide to start Tuesday.

CPS will start April 13 due to some teachers needing to be trained and some students not being able to afford e-learning supplies. They will receive the tools in the coming days.

“We will disburse more than 100,000 devices to CPS families,” said Dr. Jackson. “They will have access to their teachers."

Students will receive four hours of virtual instruction daily. Teachers will create lessons through live stream activities, book reading, and even digital discussions.

Dr. Jackson says the tools in place will be easy for parents to follow.