Several hundred more sat empty in city schools, as busloads of teens skipped classes to attend a gun-control rally - their absences sanctioned by the district, whose CEO says he's angry that too many students talk about "if" they grow up, instead of "when."
Since September, 20 students in the nation's third-largest school district have been killed by gunfire. Last school year, 24 students were shot to death, compared with between 10 and 15 fatal shootings in the years before.
As a result, the Chicago Police Department is increasing school patrols and soon will have live access to thousands of security cameras mounted outside and inside schools.
The most recent fatality involved an 18-year-old killed in a high school parking lot last weekend.
That high school, Simeon Career Academy, sent 10 busloads of students to the rally in front of the James R. Thompson Center, which houses state government offices. Students from three other high schools also participated.
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