CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- For the first time in almost a year, elementary students in Chicago Public Schools begin returning to classrooms Monday.
Under the terms of the agreement reached between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union earlier this month, kindergarten through 5th grade students will return to classrooms Monday for the first time since in-person instruction was paused last March amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students will return in cohorts on Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is remote for all students for cleaning of school buildings.
As part of the agreement between CPS and CTU, students will be required to wear masks at all times while in school building, except at lunch. Students will also be required to complete health screenings each day, according to CPS. The screening must be filled out by parents before the school day begins or by students when they arrive at school, and students must have a temperature at or below 100.4 degrees to be allowed to enter school.
Any student with a fever or any COVID symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, or a lack of taste or smell, will be sent home.
Additionally, students and teachers will be grouped into “pods” or small classes in order to minimize exposure to other students. But, keeping students spread out will be much easier in some places. While CPS expects 37,000 students to return, about 17,000 will remain at home with their parents opting to continue remote learning.
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According to the Sun-Times, the vast majority of the 421 elementary and middle schools welcoming students back over the next week, more than 92 percent will be less than half full, and 42 percent will be less than a quarter full. Teachers across the city are expecting single-digit students per class, including some with no children returning at all.
Some schools in East Garfield Park, South Lawndale, and Little Village anticipate only 10 percent of students returning, while others, like Mt. Greenwood Elementary, predict 85 percent returning.
Students in pre-K and special education cluster learning programs returned to classrooms on Feb. 11. Grades 6-8 are slated to return next week beginning March 8, while there is still no ETA for high school students to return.