The Board’s vote to return all students to in-seat learning was unanimous.
This followed a lengthy presentation from Superintendent Peter Stiepleman that covered everything from the current COVID-19 case rate in the community, vaccination rates of CPS staff and teachers, as well as the status of safety precautions – like air ionization units.
Stiepleman said the current data was “encouraging” even following elementary students return to full in-person learning and high schoolers return to a hybrid model on January 19.
He cited a community case rate, as well as a hospitalization rate for the Columbia community that remained low or even reduced.