School-closing hearing enters 3rd day

Chicago Public Schools lawyers will continue to call witnesses in the third day of a hearing to help a federal judge decide whether to halt the closure of about 50 public schools.

Public schools attorneys will get into the heart of their presentation Thursday. They called their first witness Wednesday after plaintiffs finished their own presentation in U.S. District Court.

Lawyers for parents seeking an injunction called witnesses who said closing the elementary schools would inordinately affect African-American students and put special-needs children at risk.

But testifying for the defense Wednesday, school district official Markay Winston said preparation for special-education students has been meticulous.

She says officials even took pictures of old classrooms to help redesign new classrooms similarly. She says that’ll make incoming students more comfortable.