Blink

blew an excellent opportunity to break this radical union and save the city

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she bowed to the science, not the teachers union, in abruptly shifting Chicago Public Schools to a remote learning plan for the fall that officials say will have far more structure and accountability than in the spring.

The mayor cited worsening public health conditions and parent concerns about in-person schooling Wednesday in backing off a proposal to return to classrooms next month. To improve the experience for parents and students, schools chief Janice Jackson promised full-day live online instruction by all teachers five days a week and some small group online learning.

The city will hold remote classes for CPS’ 300,000 students at non-charter schools beginning Sept. 8, the previously scheduled start to the school year, through at least the end of the first quarter, Nov. 6. Officials said they hope the virus can be sufficiently contained by that time to implement the two-days-a-week hybrid learning plan they had been touting up to this point.

Details of the new at-home model will be released in the coming days, Jackson said, with the goal of unveiling a more comprehensive plan than the makeshift one used in the spring when the pandemic forced surprise school closures.