Chicago Public Schools will start the school year with an all-remote learning plan, but Catholic schools in the city and suburbs are taking a different approach.

The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools announced it will offer full in-person learning in the fall, and says its plan is in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How will the school system keep everyone safe, and are teachers and parents on board with the plan?

“Make no mistake, in Chicago we are in a better place than most other places in the country and the surrounding area,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said last week when announcing the CPS plan for remote learning. “But the fact of the matter is, we are seeing an increase in cases.”

Justin Lombardo, the chief human resources officer for the Archdiocese of Chicago, says they created a plan that follows the direction of the CDC as well as the Illinois Department of Public Health. For example, they’re sticking with “cohorts,” keeping a small group a students within the same classroom.

“Ultimately what it came down to was a recognition that schools systems are all unique,” said Lombardo. “CPS is not like the Catholic school system, nor is the Catholic School System identical to CPS.”