Jackson said she hopes to have high schoolers back in classroom this spring. CPS and CTU were locked in negotiations for months over plans from kindergarten through eighth grade students to return to classrooms. The initial start date of in-person learning was pushed back when teachers refused to return to their classrooms, citing COVID safety concerns and a demand for prioritized vaccination. Students in K through fifth grade return to in-person learning on Monday, March 1. Students in grades six through eight will return to classrooms the next week.