Chicago partially resumes face-to-face classes in schools

School officials’ decision has disgruntled some teachers

Chicago Public Schools plans to resume face-to-face classes for some students starting next week, though several teachers who were ordered to return to classrooms Monday to prepare for classes stayed home because of concerns about COVID-19.

Starting next week, the nation’s third-largest school system will give preschoolers and students with a special education need the choice of returning to classrooms for the first time since last March or continuing distance learning.

The Chicago teachers’ union protested the school officials’ plans, explaining it as a safety concern amid the pandemic, and noted that some of its members have decided not to return “until the buildings are safe.”