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COVID-19 Safety Guidance and Updates

This page contains key information about the District’s safety guidance and protocols to keep families, staff, and school communities safe from COVID-19.

COVID-19 Guidance

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CPS has developed a comprehensive plan that includes safety protocols, procedures, and guidance to keep families, staff, and school communities safe from COVID-19. If you have any of these COVID-19 symptoms, you should get tested:

  • Fever 100.4 or higher; chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • New muscle or body aches
  • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
  • Headache
  • Runny nose or congestion
  • Fatigue

Key Safety Measures

Learn about the key safety measures that the District has put in place to keep school communities safe from COVID-19.

  • Masks

    CPS encourages the use of masks at school, outside on school property, and on school buses. Students and staff can request a mask from their school.

  • Testing

    To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, free rapid tests are available at CPS locations for students, families, and staff.

  • Disease Investigation

    To help reduce the transmission of COVID-19, CPS has a dedicated team to investigate COVID-19 cases. CPS works in coordination with CDPH to prevent outbreaks, notify for exposures and connect individuals to city resources such as monitoring and testing.

  • HEPA Filters and Air Quality Assessments

    Through an $8.5 million investment by the District, every classroom and front office is receiving its own HEPA purifier, which filters over 99.99% of airborne viruses, bacteria, and mold. And to ensure buildings are properly ventilated, the district conducted multi-stage ventilation and air quality assessments, which inspected every room and utilized state-certified environmental specialists. Those reports can be found at cps.edu/airquality. The district has also spent $70 million on mechanical upgrades.

  • Additional Custodians

    To ensure comprehensive cleaning protocols are completed every day, the District has hired additional custodians.

  • Sanitizer and Soap

    The District invested over $3.5 million to secure over 50,000 hand sanitizer dispensers in all high-traffic areas and soap dispensers to support regular hand washing and sanitizing.

  • Disinfectant Wipes

    The District has allocated over $2.94 million to purchase 92,667 containers of EPA-approved disinfectant wipes for classrooms, offices, and other high-touch areas.

  • Hospital-Grade Disinfectant Sprayers

    Every CPS school has a hospital-grade mister spray unit that will evenly apply EPA-approved disinfectant for maximum disinfection.

Best Practices to Prevent COVID

These are some best practices to follow to reduce your chance of catching COVID-19.

Wash hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer gel

hand washing under a faucet

Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues

box of tissues

Throw away used tissues (then wash hands)

trash into a garbage can

If you don't have a tissue, use your sleeve

arm outstretched under a circle

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

hand touching an eye

Stay home if you are feeling sick

person inside a house