Chicago Public Schools students head back to school as CPS faces teacher, bus driver shortage

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago Public Schools students head back for the first day of the school year Monday.

The fall semester is starting earlier than usual, before Labor Day weekend, and students will see other changes this year.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will be joining Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez at Falconer Elementary School on the Northwest Side to ring the bell and welcome students back to school.

As the nation’s third-largest district, that means more than 330,000 students are returning to school Monday.

The earlier-than-usual start to the school year is also marked by relaxed COVID protocols, a teacher and bus driver shortage.

At the Chicago Teacher’s Union headquarters, president Stacy Davis Gates praised the tentative safety plan agreed to with CPS that would allow teachers to avoid the contentious pandemic-related battles of the last two years.

As students enter a third pandemic school year, the CPS CEO said masks will still be encouraged and weekly screening tests will still be conducted at schools.

“What I’m really excited about is that with the new CDC guidance, the only children that will have to isolate, that won’t be able to learn from classrooms, will be children that are positive or have symptoms,” Martinez said. “All of our other children will be able to learn safely from their classrooms.”

“I am going to trust our members to be stewards of the common good and care for the families that they serve and I’m going to trust that we can finally find partnership with our school district to anchor all of our resources into giving our students the best that they can get,” Davis Gates said.

This year, a bus driver shortage has led to longer routes.

CPS continues to offer parents a monthly stipend in exchange for arranging their own transportation.

CEO Martinez asked parents for a couple of weeks grace, once school starts to get everything sorted out.

The CTA is offering free rides for Chicago Public School students Monday.

The offer is good for all students and their parents or guardians.

Metra and Pace are also offering free services to students between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.