Dear CPS Family, 

 

As we wrap up this week, we want to thank you for your strength and resilience. It has been encouraging to see the different ways our CPS family is supporting each other, and we hope you find this video as heartwarming as we do.

 

Although this is far from a typical school year, our district’s scheduled spring break is next week. We hope our families, teachers, and principals can use this time to rest and recover. Together, we are going to flip the switch on remote learning for the third largest school district in America in a matter of weeks—not years. Even in normal times, this would be a monumental effort. We encourage everyone to use spring break to catch their breath, and we will restart school virtually on April 13. 

 

We have several important reminders and updates to share with you before break begins.

 

Our schools have been working hard to design remote learning plans that will provide our students with high-quality learning opportunities after spring break and through the remainder of the state-mandated closure. For more information about remote learning and enrichment activities, please visit cps.edu/remotelearning. As part of the district’s effort to make remote learning accessible for students in need, schools will be distributing more than 100,000 devices so students are able take part in learning activities at home. These devices include 65,000 school-based Chromebooks, laptops and iPads; 37,000 new devices; and additional devices through potential philanthropic contributions. Schools will be coordinating this effort with their respective school communities. We also developed this guide for families who wish to learn about different options for getting connected to the internet for remote learning. 

 

To provide our families with the most consistent services while picking up grab-and-go meals during the closure and to better support school staff, food distribution sites will be changing. During spring break, families may pick up grab-and-go meals at more than 130 school sites across the city from Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Meal sites will not be open on Friday, April 10 to give our staff members off for Good Friday, and we ask families to plan accordingly. Beginning the following week, Monday, April 13, more than 270 schools that have been high demand distribution sites for families will be open to provide free meals. Find the meal site closest to you at cps.edu/mealsites.

 

Since the beginning of school closures, our Safe Passage workers have played an important and valuable role in supporting families as they access grab-and-go meals. Under the redesigned meal distribution plan, our families will be picking up meals along different routes that do not match up with our standard Safe Passage routes. Because of this change, Safe Passage workers will no longer be stationed on their usual routes. However, as part of our commitment to our staff, Safe Passage workers will continue to be paid. While schools remain closed, the district will partner with Safe Passage to identify other opportunities for workers to support families. 

 

We encourage you to take some time over the next week to fill out the U.S. Census. Data from the Census helps ensure our city gets enough resources from the federal government. The more households fill out the Census, the more funding we will get to help invest in our schools and neighborhoods. You can fill out the Census online, by phone, or by mail. Please note that the Census does not ask for your immigration or citizenship status, and every response is confidential.

 

CPS stands with each and every one of you, and we will do whatever we can to help our school communities through this time. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Janice K. Jackson, EdD         LaTanya D. McDade
Chief Executive Officer         Chief Education Officer
Chicago Public Schools         Chicago Public Schools