Groupon partners with Chicago for school supplies

CHICAGO — Groupon and the nation's third-largest school district are partnering for a new program aimed at providing school supplies for low-income students.

The Chicago-based daily deals site usually offers group coupons with heavy discounts on everything from teeth whitening to cheap eats.

But starting Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools officials say the website will offer a $12 deal for a kit that includes folders, pencils, glue sticks and notebooks.

The kits will be distributed at neighborhood festivals and back-to-school events. The deal ends Thursday.

More than 400,000 students are enrolled in Chicago Public Schools. School officials say more than 85 percent come from low-income families and more than 15,000 are homeless.