Read the tentative agreement that could govern Chicago’s high school reopening

By 
Cassie Walker Burke
 | April 15, 2021, 9:02pm UTC
School buses and an American flag are at the front of North-Grand High School in Chicago, with school buses lined up in front of the campus.
Chicago Public Schools and its union reached a tentative agreement to reopen high schools after weeks of tense negotiations. (Stacey Rupolo for Chalkbeat)

Students will return one, two, or four days a week to campuses, depending on the size of the school. Wednesdays will be for remote instruction only. Invitations will be issued for students age 18 and older for vaccination clinics at schools. 

The tentative agreement currently being weighed by teachers will dictate some important parts of campus life when Chicago high schools reopen. If teachers vote to adopt the agreement, that student return would start Monday.

The agreement also leaves questions open: How teachers will lead classrooms simultaneously with remote and in-person learners. Plans for vaccinating a wider age range of students and their families. Exactly how safety committees will work.

Read the tentative agreement in its entirety below or at this link. For full coverage and analysis of the deal, including next steps, click here.

The Latest
St. Isidore’s unanswered questions: Advocates prepare for Round 2 on religious charter schools

Schools in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Colorado are teeing up new test cases after the Supreme Court deadlocked last year on whether charter schools can be religious.

By 
Erica Meltzer
 | Today, 1:00pm UTC
Denver’s last remaining innovation zone is about to get smaller

Innovation zones were established during Denver’s school reform era. But they lost ground in recent years amid changes on the school board.

By 
Melanie Asmar
 | Today, 3:28am UTC
Tennessee lawmaker wants to block ICE from school, church property

Rep. Gabby Salinas, a Memphis Democrat, wants to block civil immigration enforcement from using Tennessee school grounds or religious property as a staging ground.

By 
Melissa Brown
 | January 8
NYC’s new chancellor: Kamar Samuels thinks school mergers can tackle segregation and low enrollment

In exclusive interviews, Chalkbeat spoke with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Chancellor Kamar Samuels about their plans for the nation’s largest school system.

By 
Alex Zimmerman
 | January 8
New Jersey schools must limit cellphones starting next school year. Here’s what you should know.

A new state law requires all New Jersey school districts to prohibit the use of cellphones during school hours, but new policies must allow for exceptions.

By 
Jessie Gómez
 | January 8
The state of learning in American schools

Here’s what we know, don’t know, and need to know about American students' academic performance.

By 
Matt Barnum
 | January 8