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Museums Offer Free Admission This Week For CPS Students

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Public School students can have some last minute fun at the museums before heading back to school.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Museums In the Park announced Saturday that many Chicago-area museums are offering free admission for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students this week.

Twelve difference museums are participating in the offer including, The Adler Planetarium, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Chicago History Museum, The DuSable Museum of African American History, The Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Science and Industry, The National Museum of Mexican Art, The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and the Shedd Aquarium.

cps museum flyer
CPS Museum Days 2017 flyer (Credit: City of Chicago/Mayor's Office)

Students can take advantage of free admission from Sunday, Aug. 27 through Saturday, Sept. 2. All they need is a student ID or a copy of their spring 2017 school report card. The museums will also grant students free admission for one adult to accompany them, with some sites providing free entrance for the entire family. To find out what each museum is offering, visit their websites.

"I want to thank Chicago's museums and cultural institutions for their support and open arms in welcoming Chicago Public Schools students before the school year begins," said Mayor Emanuel. "This is a unique opportunity for students and their families to learn and explore by visiting our city's world class museums before school starts on September 5."

CPS Museum Days began last year. In 2016, over 3,500 individuals participated in the program.

"Museums In the Park is pleased to once again offer CPS Museum Days as a sign of our commitment to learning and our support of our city's children and their families," said Gary T. Johnson, president of the Chicago History Museum and president of Museums In the Park.

CPS students begin class on September 5.

In addition to the CPS Museum Days, the Museum of Science and Industry is also offering free passes to students who attend the first day of class.

Chicago Public School students, grades K-12, who attend their first day of school will receive MSI family passes. Each pass provides entry for up to three adults or children between September 5, 2017 and June 18, 2018.

The passes are an incentive to drive attendance, according the an MSI release.

Students will find the passes in information packets passed out to all students on the first day of school.

The passes only applies to general museum admission. Additional tickets will need to be purchased for special exhibits.

This is the museum's 11th year offering this benefit to CPS families, with more than 4.4 million free passes given to CPS students since the program's launch.

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