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The Chicago Public Schools on Monday said 145 school employees were classified as "absent without leave" as in-person classes for some students resumed.
Monday brought a controversial return to the classroom for some Chicago Public Schools students. It was the first day of in-person learning since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Illinois state lawmakers have approved legislation that could throw a wrench in Chicago Public Schools' reopening plans, lifting limits on the Chicago Teachers Union's bargaining rights, which could force the district to negotiate with the union over the phased return to in-person classes.
Pre-kindergarten and some special education classes are set to resume in person.
A group of parents on Sunday called out Mayor Lori Lightfoot on a campaign promise.
The Chicago Public Schools will resume some in-person classes on Monday, but it remained unclear whether teachers will actually show up.
There is a renewed push to get the State of Illinois back open as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools leaders said the district remains committed to reopening some schools on Monday, and warned that teachers and staff who are required to be in school but aren't will be considered AWOL and not eligible for pay.
"We have put in, as a last resort, some of those same structures that hospital are using when there is overflow."
CPS CEO Doctor Janice Jackson said many CPS parents are essential workers, and don't have the option of staying home and supporting remote learning.
Both the teachers union and Chicago Public Schools held press conferences Tuesday morning, in what is becoming a showdown over remote versus in-person learning.
The Chicago Teachers Union is one step closer to a strike vote over what they call the unsafe return to school buildings.
"The fear of losing our jobs is real. Many of us are the sole income earners in our homes, but the threat of this virus is greater than that fear," teacher Lori Torres said.
The Chicago Teachers Union on Sunday said a substantial number of teachers will not be returning to in-person work on Monday on the grounds that schools are unsafe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, CPS officials said they've been talking to CTU since November 1, but the union has not provided any specific proposal to improve the district's current plan.
A majority of Chicago parents say they are keeping their children at home as Chicago Public Schools plans to head back to the classroom in a matter of weeks.
A CPS spokesperson said that since the beginning of the pandemic, the district has followed the best available guidance from experts and scientists.
"We are highly incentivized to make sure that everyone in the school community – including teachers – are safe," Lightfoot said.
Deadlines and demands were issued Monday with regard to the return to in-person classes for Chicago Public Schools students.
It's decision day. If you're a Chicago Public Schools parent or guardian, there's an important deadline today. It's the last day to decide how your children will be learning in the third quarter of the 2020-21 school year.
It's been almost a month since CBS 2 reported on the uncertain job status of the city of Chicago's roughly 850 crossing guards. And they're still in limbo.
Under a plan announced Tuesday, all Chicago Public Schools students will go on with remote learning for the rest of 2020 -- but some students will return in person January, and students from kindergarten through eighth grade will return in February.
In a potential pandemic casualty, hundreds of Chicago crossing guards fear they may lose their health insurance in just a few weeks.
"Seventy-two percent of parents in that poll said that community spread of the virus has to be under control before we return to in-person schooling," CTU President Jesse Sharkey said.
The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board said it would be open to reviewing the case again when CPS announces a date for some students to resume in-person classes.
DJ Moore scored the game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass from QB Caleb Williams.
The ages of the victims range from 23 to 46, according to Chicago police.
Despite a solid effort, Chicago lost its fifth straight game.
A government shutdown is still possible if Mayor Brandon Johnson decides to veto it.
Chicago police said the victim was walking home when she was grabbed from behind, forced to the ground, sexually abused, and then robbed Saturday morning.
The Justice Department released thousands of new photos and records on Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, but at least 550 pages in the documents were fully redacted.
The alternative budget proposal championed by a group of Chicago aldermen won a crucial first full City Council vote on Friday, setting up a final vote on Saturday
A Bulgarian citizen, whom federal officials say was in the U.S. illegally, was found unresponsive in his cell at a Michigan facility.
Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers are raising alarms about judicial independence and say they hope the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
Village leaders in Broadview, Illinois, voted down a proposal that would limit the setting up of additional detention centers in the area.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, if you're sending gifts to people far from home, the deadlines to get them there on time are fast approaching.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Why is one school in the west Chicago suburb of Lisle paying a water bill three times higher than another? The answer has to do with a private utility company.
Millions of people with an Affordable Care Act health plan face a massive jump in premiums next year — this chart shows just how much.
It's the holiday season, which means it's the most common time of year for norovirus to spread. Here's what you need to know about this winter stomach bug.
A study conducted in part by Chicago's Northwestern Medicine found that tanning beds not only triple the risk of melanoma, but can also damage DNA across nearly the whole skin surface.
An investigation into the case of a Michigan man who contracted rabies after an organ transplant provided more details on the infection's origin.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
The Chicago Bears are expanding their search for a new stadium to Northwest Indiana, even though they already own land in Arlington Heights and have also proposed a new lakefront stadium in Chicago.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Traffic at O'Hare International Airport is growing faster than expected, and this has Chicago city leaders wanting to make big changes to future construction plans at the airport.
Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre is hosting "The Phantom of the Opera," and staff offered a firsthand look at the iconic chandelier inside the theater this week.
The special features interviews with Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O'Connell and Mandy Patinkin.
The Oscars ceremony is moving to YouTube starting in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday.
The nearly 100-year-old cinema will close briefly after New Year's Day and reopen on Jan. 9 with a showing of Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother."
Known as a popular Hollywood director, Rob Reiner also had a lengthy record of political and civic activism, especially in California.
It's all in honor of the organization's Founder's Month, pursuing Rev. Jesse Jackson's mission to feed the hungry.
The man is facing several charges including assaulting a peace officer and attempted murder.
Families were able to step into the magic of the holidays, sharing the spirit of the season today with live performances and a toy giveaway.
Meet a woman who creates beauty off the top of her head. Laura Hubka does it with style.
Meteorologist Carl Lam is tracking a cold, but sunny Sunday ahead of next warm up.
DJ Moore scored the game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass from QB Caleb Williams.
A government shutdown is still possible if Mayor Brandon Johnson decides to veto it.
A teen and six children were charged after a mother was attacked by a group of kids while protecting her children outside a South Side elementary school in November.
The ages of the victims range from 23 to 46, according to Chicago police.
The Justice Department has released records from the Epstein files, the first documents to come to light under a new law. Follow live updates here.
Some Chicago area hospitals are at risk of significant flooding both in and around the buildings, according to new KFF Health News/Fathom models.
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
Electric bills in the Chicago area could go up as much as $70 in the next three years because of data centers, according to the Citizens Utility Board.
Advocates and legislators are seeking solutions and and accountability for a pattern of Chicago police arresting Black gun owners on firearms charges despite valid FOID and CCL licenses.
Homeowner and Army veteran Kaliff Chilembwe's property tax bill has seen an increase of 118%.
DJ Moore scored the game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass from QB Caleb Williams.
Despite a solid effort, Chicago lost its fifth straight game.
Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic each score 24 points as the Chicago Bulls pull away in the fourth quarter for a 136-125 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Zachary Bolduc scored twice and Lane Hutson had three assists as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1.
After years of planning, Chicago State University is officially launching its first football team. The school is launching the only NCAA Division 1 football program in the City of Chicago.
A Bulgarian citizen, whom federal officials say was in the U.S. illegally, was found unresponsive in his cell at a Michigan facility.
Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers are raising alarms about judicial independence and say they hope the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
Village leaders in Broadview, Illinois, voted down a proposal that would limit the setting up of additional detention centers in the area.
A grand jury this week indicted a man on charges of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train last month, and also setting a fire outside City Hall.
Three teens have been charged with robbing a person who came to buy items that had been offered for sale in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
