Teachers, Staff At Chicago's Lowell Elementary Told In Letter That Classrooms Might Not Have Air Purifiers
A letter addressed to teachers and staff at a Chicago public school warned that classrooms might not have an air purifier.
Watch CBS News
A letter addressed to teachers and staff at a Chicago public school warned that classrooms might not have an air purifier.
CPS in-person learning for kindergarten through eight grade students is set to resume on February 1.
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.
Friday marks one year since Chicago's own Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, leader of the Catholic Church.
One person was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting on Friday afternoon in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
Have you ever wanted to eat like the pope? Well now you can, with his mother's recipe for "Messy Josephs."
A Crystal Lake man is charged after police said he exposed himself to children and an adult during an elementary school recess Wednesday.
A student at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep and an Uber driver were killed in a Chicago shooting in Garfield Park Thursday night.
The Trump administration announced a major expansion of its denaturalization campaign targeting foreign-born American citizens accused of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that the documents "have long fueled justified speculation — and it's time the American people see it for themselves."
Three of the nation's major scholarly groups challenged the Trump administration's cuts to humanities grants.
Since his second term started, President Trump has introduced a flurry of initiatives aimed at taming the excesses of the pharmaceutical industry.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other mayors are asking Illinois lawmakers to increase the share of income tax revenue that goes to local governments.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
The largest U.S. health insurer said it will eliminate approval requirements for some treatments, including select outpatient surgeries and other procedures.
Thirty years ago, Advocate Children's Hospital created a specialized team to transport the smallest patients to get life-saving care. On the anniversary of the Neonatal Pediatric Transport Team, they unveiled some a new ambulance.
The second-largest physicians' group in the U.S. has issued a surprising switch in breast cancer screening recommendations.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
U.S. prosecutors allege a man with multiple aliases used the name of the famed Astor family to scam a Mexican billionaire out of $450 million.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Holiday Club in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood will soon be going out of business, as the building that houses the popular bar is set to be torn down.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
A student at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep and a rideshare driver were killed in a Chicago shooting in Garfield Park Thursday night.
The Pentagon began releasing a new batch of files on UFOs as President Donald Trump taps into the public's long-held curiosities about "unidentified anomalous phenomena” in the broader universe.
if you've been waiting for the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 to go down to buy one, you'll have to keep waiting. The price is actually going up.
A Crystal Lake man is charged after police said he exposed himself to children and an adult during an elementary school recess Wednesday.
South Elgin police said no human remains were found at a South Elgin home on Revere Road in the search for missing teen Kianna Galvin, who vanished in 2016.
A student at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep and a rideshare driver were killed in a Chicago shooting in Garfield Park.
One person was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting on Friday afternoon in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
Officer Bartholomew was remembered as a beloved son, father, husband, brother, friend and member of the Chicago Police Department.
Friday marks one year since Chicago's own Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, leader of the Catholic Church.
The Canvas outage left students and teachers in the Chicago and Illinois university systems scrambling amid the end of the spring semester.
A man from the Chicago suburbs lost $69,000 of his savings to a scam by a thief using an AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge to intimidate him.
Illinois lawmakers are trying to decide what should happen when artificial intelligence leads to serious destruction or even death, and two of the most influential AI companies in the world are backing opposing state bills trying to answer that question.
Rideshare drivers say it's getting difficult to continue working as gas prices surpass $6 in the city.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Michael Conforto went 3 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs, Shota Imanaga pitched six innings of one-run ball and the Chicago Cubs extended their winning streak to nine games with an 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
In May 2019, Bridgett Kolls came to a Cubs game with a simple sign that read "this lil cubbie needs a kidney" and her phone number. It caught the attention of Allesio, who is a Chicago White Sox fan
The Cubs also won their 14th straight home game for their longest win streak at Wrigley Field since they also won 14 in a row at the iconic ballpark in 2008.
Travis d'Arnaud hit a three-run homer, Walbert Ureña threw six innings of two-hit ball, and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Chicago White Sox 8-2.
Boyd had an MRI that showed a meniscus issue, and manager Craig Counsell said the team isn't sure how long the left-hander is going to be out.
One person was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting on Friday afternoon in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
Police across Chicago and the northern suburbs were investigating a string of overnight smash-and-grab burglaries targeting businesses.
A teenager has been charged with shooting and killing his father inside their home in southwest suburban Oak Lawn following an argument on Monday.
The Mexican navy helped rescue shipwrecked sailors and retrieve bales of illicit drugs that had been dumped into the ocean.
A man was killed on Tuesday night in a shooting less than a block from an elementary school in the West Englewood neighborhood.
