Live updates: Omicron Variant in Chicago

A few hundred students gathered outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters Friday to protest the school district’s COVID-19 safety plan amid a surge of new cases and to call for other improvements in the schools. 

The youth walkout comes on the heels of the recent standoff between CPS and the teachers union over the return to in-person learning that shuttered classrooms for five days. Union members narrowly voted to approve a reopening deal with the school district on Wednesday, but many remain concerned that the agreement doesn’t include enough protections to make a difference for student and staff safety.