TCR education beat

Chicago Public Schools proposes slashing its $33 million budget for school police by more than half. The majority of the cut is due to officers no longer needed to work in schools during remote learning days planned for the first quarter of the school year.bit.ly/3ad5IrX

.@CTULocal1 is pushing for schools to start the academic year with remote learning as only staff with medical or caretaking needs can apply for a leave of absence or accommodation. See our tracker, co-developed w/@WBEZ, for the latest updates from CPS. bit.ly/2Con9cR

.@ChiPubSchools also says special education and bilingual teachers will rotate across a limited number of 15-student pods to provide specialized services. bit.ly/2Con9cR

CPS also announced thresholds, incl. rolling case averages and positivity rates, for moving to remote-only learning and is expected to release an updated plan on the issue this week with plans to make a final call on in-person instruction in late August. bit.ly/2Con9cR

UPDATES: Chicago Public Schools families have until Friday, August 7, to opt into remote-only learning, a decision students will have to stick with for a full 10-week quarter. bit.ly/2Con9cR

UPDATE: In Chicago Public Schools' new plan to reopen in the fall, students can opt for remote-learning only but then must stick to it for a full 10-week quarter. See the latest updates to the plan & how to give feedback w/this tool, developed with @WBEZ: bit.ly/2Con9cR

Most students will do a mix of in-person & remote learning this fall but specifics depend on students' grade level & learning situation, according to @ChiPubSchools' preliminary proposal. You can see a breakdown of the plan and how to give feedback here: bit.ly/2Con9cR

A poll of CPS parents by education advocacy group @IllinoisStand found a sharp divide on reopening plans with a slight majority wanting some type of in-person instruction in the fall, but 2 out of every 5 parents saying schools should remain fully closed. bit.ly/2E3hysI

NEW: Chicago Public Schools is seeking feedback, in an online survey and virtual meetings in English and Spanish, on its hybrid reopening plan where most students will do a mix of in-person and remote learning. Get details and a breakdown of the plan at: bit.ly/2Con9cR

Chicago Public Schools plans to reopen this fall with a mix of remote and in-person learning — but the details depend on a student’s grade level. Use this tool to zoom in on the different types of students and learning scenarios: bit.ly/2Con9cR

NEW:@ChiPubSchools is planning a hybrid model to partially resume in-person learning this fall & is seeking feedback on its preliminary proposal. This tool, presented in collaboration w/@WBEZ, details the different scenarios for different types of students.bit.ly/2Con9cR

As @ChiPubSchools rolls out plans to reopen schools, a local researcher proposes using shuttered school buildings, still empty in many of the the black and brown neighborhoods worst hit by COVID-19, to facilitate socially distant classroom instruction. bit.ly/2ZAC3oU

Chicago's school board voted 4-3 to keep intact a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools & the Chicago Police Department, leaving 200+ officers in about 70 schools, while hundreds rallied in the Loop in support of removing police from schools. bit.ly/3duY8ZX

Public school closures have had a huge impact not only on education but on the vast amount of services they provide to bridge many gaps for children and their families from meals to health care to social work. | Commentary bit.ly/3drOc3e

.@GovPritzker released long-awaited guidance for schools, colleges and universities in Illinois to reopen this fall, including face coverings, social distancing, symptom screenings and temperature checks for anyone entering school buildings and more.#twill bit.ly/37Twl4h

Commentary | Restorative justice programs have yielded positive results at CPS schools but lack extensive funding, although they are a much less costly alternative to school resource officers. bit.ly/3hcAAMm

Perspective | A @ChiPubSchools high school teacher details his experience of how the presence of police officers affects students in under-resourced, predominantly Black schools. bit.ly/2U8J1hT

A newly proposed ordinance would cut ties between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department, as other major cities have done recently, and prohibit future contracts between the two, although Mayor Lori Lightfoot opposes the move. bit.ly/3hC1e1E

Commentary: Restorative justice programs have been proven to work at CPS and since they rely on training existing staff & students, not full-time assignments, they're a whole lot more cost effective than the $33M currently budgeted to put cops in schools. bit.ly/3hcAAMm

Suspensions and severe incidents requiring police notification plummeted at Chicago Public Schools with restorative justice programs, which are also a lot more cost effective than stationing police officers at schools, but lack funding. | Perspective bit.ly/3hcAAMm