CPS Offering Incentives To Gets Students In Class On First Day Of School
(CBS) -- Not everyone shows up to the 1st day of school in Chicago but there's an effort to change that. WBBM's Veronica Carter says incentives are being given out to get the kids in class.
The Museum of Science and Industry is giving two free passes to every CPS student who goes to school on the first day. The tickets will be in students' welcome to school packet and will be good for one visit to the museum.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool says incentives have helped get more kids in their seats in the past few years.
Claypool says 90 percent of CPS students are from impoverished families, and that makes it hard to get the word out to get them in school.
"That's why we really work not just reaching out to parents, but also to churches, to neighbors, to community institutions and to the media to try to emphasize just how important it is for the parents and guardians of the children to get them there on day one because otherwise they begin to fall behind immediately, both academically and socially," Claypool says.
Dozens of schools changed their start times to reduce transportation costs. For a list of the school start time changes, click here.