Final Bell Rings For Last Time At 28 Schools Today
Wednesday marks the beginning of school closings in Chicago, with 28 elementary schools preparing for their final day of class before they close for good.
Watch CBS News
Wednesday marks the beginning of school closings in Chicago, with 28 elementary schools preparing for their final day of class before they close for good.
A day before the first set of school closings was set to begin, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis had some harsh words about how the Chicago Public Schools are funded and managed, blaming much of the district's problems on racism.
Parents and students protested earlier this evening outside of speaking engagement by the head of Chicago Public Schools, reports WBBM's Nancy Harty.
Claiming the move to close 49 elementary schools won't save any money, opponents of the Emanuel administration's plans protested outside CPS headquarters on Monday, asking state leaders to step in.
The City of Chicago, which plans to close dozens of schools this summer to save money, has received 11,000 requests for help getting children to their new schools along safe-passage routes and will hire 600 adults to work along the routes.
About 800 of teachers and staff at schools set to close next school year or are targeted as "turnaround" schools were laid off on Friday.
City and Chicago Public Schools officials said Friday they're working with police and parents to designate hot spots where safety is an issue and there could be trouble as kids go to new schools next fall.
Chicago Public Schools officials have announced nearly $21 million in new cutbacks as it continues work to close a $1 billion budget deficit. The latest cuts come on top of more than $31 million in central office cuts earlier this year.
Joe Bradley had just dropped his last student off near 51st Street and Indiana Avenue. Before long, the shooting started, CBS 2's Brad Edwards reports.
Until a new judge can be assigned to a lawsuit filed by the Chicago Teachers Union and parents from 10 elementary schools, CPS attorneys agreed the district wouldn't take any permanent actions at the schools in question.
With 49 elementary schools set to close next week, Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett was outlined a five-year plan to make sure the district's students are prepared for college or a career after finishing high school.
Chicago Teachers Union officials fear the city could soon follow Philadelphia's steps and send out thousands of layoff notices. On Friday, the Philadelphia School District notified more than 3,000 employees of layoffs.
A Chicago Public School teacher has been removed from the classroom after being charged with rape.
With 49 elementary schools set to close this summer, and the district facing an additional $412 million in pension costs, the Chicago Teachers Union estimated hundreds – if not thousands – of teachers could be laid off to reduce district spending.
We now know 49 Chicago elementary school will close this fall. So, what will happen to all of those buildings - once the children leave?
A group of parents from three elementary schools that are closing on the South Side took a trip to the North Side on Thursday, and tried to enroll their kids at a school whose name is synonymous with wealth and privilege.
The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, argued the Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Board of Education should have followed hearing officers' recommendations to keep 10 of the schools open when the hearing officers found CPS did not follow proper guidelines.
The head of the Chicago Public School system will be doing a little chest-thumping today about the high school graduation rate.
Three years ago, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation requiring schools to always have someone in the buildings trained to care for a child with diabetes. CBS 2's Jim Williams reports.
Parents and other community members met outside a West Side school Friday morning, in an effort to make sure Chicago Public Schools officials and the mayor hear what they have to say about the closing of 49 elementary schools.
There is uncertainty, confusion and questions among many parents in the Chicago Public Schools system. CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports on the options available to them.
A 3rd grader from the South Side has become an Internet sensation, after delivering a rousing speech at a rally against school closings earlier this week.
An employee at a public high school in the Bronzeville neighborhood has been taken off the job after being recorded on cell phone video pushing a girl down a set of stairs.
The decision to close 49 elementary schools in Chicago is done, but bitterness over the move lingered Thursday morning, as the Chicago Teachers Union vowed to continue their fight against the closings, and parents and students protested the looming closure of their schools.
At one of the schools ordered closed by CPS – there was quiet opposition from some parents today…and some seemed resigned to what is about to happen. CBS 2's Mike Parker reports.
