Chicago Catholic schools will resume classroom instruction this fall for its more than 70,000 students.
That plan was made official last week by Cardinal Blase Cupich, who as part of his video announcement added that every measure will be made to protect students from COVID-19 that forced schools to close in early March.
“Anyone returning to one of our school buildings can have the confidence that we have taken every measure we can,” Cupich said in the video.
Cupich said schools will now regularly be cleaned and disinfected in high-contact areas and plexiglass barriers will be erected as needed. In addition, anyone showing symptoms of the coronavirus are subject to temperature checks before being allowed entry.
“What we do in this moment will have an impact on Catholic school education and the archdiocese for years to come,” Cupich said. “Our decision to aggressively plan for reopening our schools this year is based on the value we place on face-to-face instruction and the community learning environment that has distinguished Catholic school education over the years.”
With the effectiveness of its e-learning system having earned rave reviews from parents, Cupich said remote learning will continue to be available for students favoring that option.
“We take pride that our educators quickly responded when I made the decision to close schools,” he said. “They established remote learning within days of the closure. In fact, no instructional days were missed and our teachers have shown great creativity in offering our students the quality of education we’re known for.”
Cupich vowed to keep parents updated as the school year grows closer and new developments arise.
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