CPS: Unvaccinated students who travel out of state over Labor Day must quarantine

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Labor Day Weekend travel plans are being complicated by COVID this year. The CDC is recommending that people who are not vaccinated stay home, and Chicago Public Schools are putting even stiffer requirements on parents because of the city's travel order.

The district put parents on notice Friday that if their students are not vaccinated, and they go out of state, that those kids will have to self-isolate when they come back and won't be allowed in school.

The directive from Chicago Public Schools caught many parents off guard just as they were getting ready to head out of town.

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"I don't believe it was enough notice for parents, especially being the Labor Day Weekend," said CPS parent Michael Staine, who planned to take his two children to his home in Michigan despite the CPS letter sent out Friday that said unvaccinated children who travel out of state will have to self-isolate for seven days with a negative COVID test, or 10 days without one.

"I think the very idea, just because they cross an imaginary boundary, they can't come unless a quarantine I think that's kind of short sighted," Staine said.

At Lincoln Elementary, other parents supporting the decision were glad they did not make plans to go out of state.

"Well it's a crazy time. And it's better for us to be safe than sorry and we're lucky, we do have family here so we don't, you know, it's easy for us to stick around," said Mike Saunder, a CPS parent.

Many Illinoisans are looking to get away for a long weekend, even if it means staying in state

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Jordan Rosenblatt was packing up for a weekend in the Chain of Lakes area, looking forward to time with family and friends and trying to forget about COVID for a few days.

"Yeah, as much as you can, right. It's always present, but it's nice to get away and have a weekend away and not think about work, not gonna think about the pandemic, so looking forward to it," Rosenblatt said.

Governor JB Pritzker said if people are vaccinated and wear masks, travel should not be a problem.

"I think that there's a lot lower likelihood that we will see a surge from people who are traveling and then coming back," Pritzker said.

CPS did tell parents that if their students do have to quarantine, they will be granted access to the virtual learning software. But their underlying message is, please don't travel unless it's absolutely necessary.