CPS

The state school board has said masks can be optional for vaccinated students and teachers. But local district can set stricter rules.

Last summer, schools that voted to cut officers from their campuses lost district dollars. Now, they get to keep those funds.

At least 22 local school councils have voted this summer to eliminate one or more officers at high schools, while at least 16 voted to keep them.

Sarah Jackson Abedelal approved false overtime payments at Brennemann Elementary School and then ordered school employees to give her the cash, according to a federal indictment.

Chicago Public Schools will see students return Aug. 30. The CDC is saying everyone who's unvaccinated should wear masks in schools.

The district plans to spend $5 million on 64 additional counselors by 2023.

Seven of 11 council members voted to keep two officers on campus, while two voted to keep one officer and two voted to remove both officers.

The Wednesday 8-3 vote marks the second time Taft's school council voted to keep its officers. A majority of teachers want them removed to free up money, a survey found.

Legislators are weighing a bill that would create a 21-person elected school board in Chicago by 2023, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot backs a bill to create a 7-member board with a majority of it appointed.

The majority of students will start the school year in their classrooms for the first time since early 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic hit Chicago.

The already difficult process of learning to read was made even more complicated this year by disparities in remote learning experiences coupled with wide-ranging inconsistency in how Chicago schools teach reading.

The health department will bring converted CTA buses to the schools, allowing students and their parents to come by to get their shots.

Under Chicago’s system, it will now be up to Mayor Lori Lightfoot to appoint a new schools chief to take Jackson’s place.

About 19 percent of students were absent, 70 percent of students learned remotely, and 11 percent of the district’s 72,600 high school students were present in school buildings the week of April 19.

The district said schools will receive $85 million to address recovery from the pandemic. Principals will have leeway to use most of the money to support students’ academic needs, with some dollars earmarked for out-of-school enrichment opportunities and some going to charter schools.

CPS high schools are supposed to reopen Monday — but negotiations between the district and teachers union are ongoing.

A key state House committee passed the bill this week, but opponents want to reduce the size of the board or seek a hybrid model with some members appointed and others elected.

LaTanya McDade, the second-in-command at Chicago Public Schools, will be the next chief of Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia.

The district has asked each high school to form a campus safety committee to make recommendations.