On Wednesday, Chicago joined the list of cities starting the first quarter of the academic year completely virtual.
The CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Dr. Janice Jackson, said: "In a perfect world, students would be in classrooms more, not less. But unfortunately, that is not where we find ourselves today."
Officials have cited concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. But, Jackson said the decision to reopen schools in the country's third-largest school district will depend on data.
"It will be guided by the science, the counsel of our public health officials and by the responses that we receive from our families through a robust community engagement process," Jackson said. "Over the past month, we have surveyed staff, students and families about how we should reopen schools this fall and what steps needed to be taken in order for them to feel comfortable returning to our schools."
Chicago's schools will continue with remote learning through the beginning of November.
After that, the district will decide whether it's safe for students to start a hybrid learning model of in-person classes and online learning. The Chicago Teachers Union had threatened to walk off the job if schools reopened with classroom instruction.
