An inaccurate Daily Mail story claiming Chicago is closing its selective enrollment schools is going viral and causing unnecessary fear.

It simply is not true. Chicago education reporters have covered this with nuance all week. Read us, not a UK tabloid. chicago.suntimes.com/education/2023… What is Chicago's Board of Education *actually* doing?

It's stating its intent to better fund neighborhood schools so that kids don't *have* to compete to get into selective programs for a good education.

Crucially, parents will still be able to pick those options.

The Chicago Teachers Union says it's holding a presser at 1 p.m. to share a new proposal that "addresses all outstanding issues between the CTU and the mayor, would end Lightfoot's lockout and land hard safety protections for students and staff for the rest of the school year." I reached out to Chicago Public Schools and City Hall to see if they've received a copy of the proposal, which the CTU says will "get students back to learning safely."

Mayor Lightfoot said last night that negotiations "must be concluded this weekend."

Check this out if you didn't catch it Friday night.

Gov. Pritzker isn't actually offering free COVID tests that CPS is turning down. The state is offering participation in its saliva test program, which thousands of Illinois schools are using, but it would cost CPS $$$

https://twitter.com/NaderDIssa/status/1479652633543651328

Now, should CPS get into the saliva test game to increase capacity? That's another question. The district's contract with its current nasal swab test vendor (Thermo Fisher) looks pretty easy to get out of. But CPS said last night that it still prefers nasal swabs to saliva tests

A bunch of Chicago Public Schools principals are telling their families classes are canceled Monday. Not clear if that's a directive from central office and indicates no deal is happening this weekend, or if those messages are a bit premature A principal told me CPS CEO Pedro Martinez reiterated in a meeting today that there will be no online learning offered next week in place of in-person school. The district is holding firm that classes only resume when the Chicago Teachers Union agrees to return to in-person work

NEW: Chicago Public Schools classes are canceled Friday after another day came and passed with no agreement between the district and the Chicago Teachers Union over COVID-19 testing protocols amid the Omicron variant surge. Principals from schools throughout the city sent messages to their families today letting them know whether their students would have limited opportunities to attend school Friday depending on how many teachers were expected to show Friday chicago.suntimes.com/education/2022…

NEW: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady are holding a news conference at 6:45 p.m. at City Hall

Still crickets on whether there's school tomorrow and if there is, what form it would be A few parents have said their principals emailed them this afternoon saying no school tomorrow. But still no official word from CPS or CTU. And most schools haven't passed out devices, so not sure it's possible for there to be remote learning tomorrow

NEW: The Chicago Teachers Union says its planned vote tonight would see members refuse in-person work until Jan. 18 or until the city's COVID-19 wave falls below the threshold Chicago Public Schools set last year, whichever happens first. The obvious news here is that without an agreement ASAP this could last about two weeks, or quicker only if the Omicron wave peaks soon.

While CPS says classes tomorrow are canceled if this passss, it's not yet clear if remote classes would start up at any point

Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady and Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez are giving a COVID-19 briefing at City Hall.

Arwady starts by saying this is the city's highest case rate since the start of the pandemic Arwady says one of the reasons for higher positivity rates in Chicago and elsewhere is at-home testing isn't typically being accounted for.

Hospitalizations are also the highest of the pandemic, mostly unvaccinated people. Omicron is leading to a lot more breakthroughs though

The Chicago Teachers Union is moving toward a labor action: Members would work remotely Wednesday without district approval, pending a union-wide vote, because of concerns over the post-holidays return

A thread with some context for Chicago Public Schools chicago.suntimes.com/education/2022… Most of Chicago's COVID-19 metrics are up significantly over the past month, at or near record highs.

Hospitalizations are nearing last winter's wave. Deaths, which usually lag behind case surges, have risen. Many school communities have low vax rates

Chicago Public Schools custodians say conditions are as bad as ever — roaches, mice, filthy bathrooms — while they don't have adequate cleaning supplies, oftentimes buying their own chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021… One school gets 24 toilet paper rolls per week for 25 bathrooms. A janitor said he gets paid a month late. Another isn't supplied with mops, brooms, gloves, garbage bags or disinfectant chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021…

Breaking: Chicago Teachers Union members vote to defy Chicago Public Schools' reopening plans and continue working from home tomorrow because of health and safety concerns, a source says. About 86% of CTU members voted, and 71% of those members approved the collective action To put this another way, 61% of the CTU's full membership voted to approve this resolution. The union set a 60% threshold for this vote, so this just eked — an unusually close vote for CTU labor actions.

Will give updates as I get them on what this means for classes tomorrow

One more thing coming today: Janice Jackson said last week's in-person student attendance will be released this afternoon.

We say this every time, but it's still remarkable that with something as significant as this, CPS is waiting until Friday afternoon to dump information It's past 5 p.m. on a Friday and CPS still has not released this data that has been promised since last week

It's a big day for Chicago's school board, which will decide whether to keep uniformed police officers in 55 high schools or listen to Black students who don't feel safe learning amid a police presence. The board meeting is underway. Follow it with me here chicago.suntimes.com/2020/8/26/2140… Before the meeting, a hearing was held this morning about holding classes on Veterans Day instead of Election Day to follow a new state law that requires schools to be closed on Election Day. A board member questioned whether vet groups were consulted chicago.suntimes.com/education/2020…

Chicago's City Council is holding a hearing on school police at 10 a.m. this morning. We'll hear from @ChicagoOIG Joe Ferguson, whose scathing report two years ago pointed out lots of problems with cops in CPS. Here's where you can watch it live: chicityclerk.com/city-council-n… Ahead of time, the City Council's Progressive Caucus is holding a press conference right now to call for yanking cops from schools. Watch that here: facebook.com/ChicagoProgres…

NEW: Chicago Public Schools has suspended its meal distribution program "based on the evolving nature of activity across the city." The district has given out more than 12.5 million meals since start of the coronavirus pandemic. Remote learning continues, though. Story tk. Thousands of families will now have to look for another way to get food for their kids after Chicago Public Schools suspended its meal distribution program "out of an abundance of caution ... based on the evolving nature of activity across the city." chicago.suntimes.com/education/2020…

Update from tonight's police shooting: A Chicago officer followed a man off a CTA subway train after he was seen walking between train cars, then struggled with him and shot him twice in a busy downtown Red Line station during the afternoon rush hour. chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2020/2/2… A video posted on social media showed both officers on top of the man, struggling with him on the ground near an escalator as they try to handcuff him. Before shooting him, both officers used their stun guns on him, and one appeared to pepper spray him.
chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2020/2/2…

The Jason Van Dyke trial resumes this morning (for real this time). IF Van Dyke testifies it'll likely be today. Follow along with @agrimm34 and me, and check out live updates from @SeidelContent on our blog. You can also watch a livestream of proceedings. chicago.suntimes.com/news/van-dyke-… Today's first defense witness: Dr. Laurence Miller, a psychologist who's expected to tell the jury what he believes went through Jason Van Dyke's mind before he shot #LaquanMcDonald.

A very large crowd is gathering at 71st/Chappel, where Chicago Police say they shot and killed a person this evening. It's hard to put in words how tense the scene is. Witnesses say a female officer shot the man in the back while he was running away. He was a local barber. The crowd just finished chanting "Who do you serve? Who do you protect?"

The crowd formed within two minutes after the shooting, witnesses say.