i'm dell walters.ice officers and community volunteers line the streets of chicago as students there went back to class. dozens of schools have been closed and students attending new schools now find themselves walking through crime-ridden areas. last week five people were shot and killed along a route that many students take each and every day. safe passage is the plan that the city of chicago has put into place to protect those students. we have more. >> reporter: this is one of chicago's new safe passage accuratroutes. they're supposed to be secured paths from school to home, but five shooting galleries occurred. >> i saw the carnage on the street which was just horrific. >> reporter: this term school begins with 50 schools now close closed, most of them on the perilous south and west sides. making the trek longer and dangerous. >> you don't want to take the good with the bad, you just don't want to have that mix up where my kid is there, and something happens, and he's mistaken as being a gang bang

i'm dell walters.hicago's public schools are under the microscope as more than 400,000 children are back in class. many of these children attending new schools under less than desirable circumstances. faced with unfamiliar neighborhood and forced to walk longer distances to get through, and then through violenc violend gang-ridden areas. it does sound like reading, writing and risk, are the kids safe? >> reporter: that's right. that's something on the minds of teachers, students and parents today. they have 300 safe passage designated routes over the school year for students to get their kids to newly designated schools. police will be along those routes in the morning and afternoons when the children are traveling. at least we saw some people who were posted out here in their fluorescent yellow vests. we saw police patrolling on foot and in car, still there are parents walking their children to school, and concerned that it may not be safe enough. eight-year-old crystal hall expects to meet a lot of n

. >>> welcome back to al-jazeera, i'm dell walters.gainst the back drop of sectarian violence and rising tensions, former president hosni mubarak was back in court today, facing charges for failing to stop the killing of some 900 protestors back in the airplane spring of 2011. previously he was convicted of the chargers and imprisoned for life but today his sentence was appealed. he served as vice-president to egyptian president anwar sadat and then became president. in january 2011, anti-protestors took to the streets to demand his resignation. he stepped down one month later. in june 2012, he was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the uprising and then earlier this year, the appeals court overturned the sentence saying the prosecution failed to prove that the protestors were killed by police. a new trial was ordered by court and then just three months later, he was released. he will he is more charges for failing to disclose gifts he was given to stay in office. then a month later, he is r

i'm dell walters, these are stories we are following. >> our military operations will not cease. >> defiance determination from syria's foreign minister as the assad regime stairs down the possibility of action from a u.s. led coalition. >> this international form cannot be violated without consequences. >> america's toughening position as secretary of state john kerry says the u.s. is now all but certain syria has resorted to using chemical weapons. >> new dangers as the nation's biggest forest fire now threatens thousands of buildings, water and energy sources and america's cherished trees. >> a senior muslim brotherhood leader accusing the military run government there are terrorism. >> the secret service agent grabbed her hand and the gun. >> this chilling flashback as former president gerald ford recounts an assassination attempt on his life 30 years ago. ♪ theme >> syria's foreign minister says a potential u.s. strike on syria would serve the interest of groups there in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed 355 people last week in damascus. in a speech moments ago, assad's

i'm dell walters.cago public schools are under the microscope as more than 400,000 children are headed back to class. many of them are attending school under less than desirable circumstances. unfamiliar neighborhoods force them to walk through distances of violent and gang-ridden areas. it looks like reading, writing, and risk. what are chicago schools doing for kids who have to walk through these dangerous areas? >> reporter: that's right, dell. the district has established safety routes, as they call them, to help parents navigate through the new receiving schools. they have also employed more than 600 people who will serve on the safe passage routes as people to help them and guide them to the new schools. we saw a couple of them earlier today. they're dressed in the florescent yellow vest. we saw increased patrols by police officers and on foot. but with violence, some parents are worried that the security measures may not be enough. eight-year-old crystal hall expects to meet a lot of new classma

i'm dell walters, these are stories we are following. >> our military operations will not cease. >> defiance from syria's foreign minister as the assad regime stairs down the possibility of action from a u.s. led coalition. >> this international form cannot be violated without consequences. >> america's toughening position as secretary of state john kerry says the u.s. is now all but certain syria has resorted to using chemical weapons. >> new dangers as the nation's biggest forest fire now threatens thousands of buildings, water and energy

. >> welcome back to aljazeera, i'm dell walter, u.n.eapon inspectors driving in their convoy were hit repeatedly by gunfire en route to the site of the alleged chemical weapons attacks. they were forced to return to their hotel. there are no reports of injuries. >> california forestry officials say the wild of yosemite national park is 7% contained. strong winds are pushing the flames back into the park. >> the nation's third largest school district back in session this morning. students in the midwest navigating school closures and teacher layoffs. >> u.n. secretary said the world is watching syria as chemical weapons teams investigate a site near damascus. 335 people were killed in an alleged chemical attack last wednesday there. he said the u.n. must be allowed to conduct a full thorough investigation. many u.s. and european leaders worry the evidence is already tainted. the obama administration said there is very little doubt that chemical weapons were used in an attack on their own people. the military is ready to act on orders fro

dell? >> dave thank you very much. >>> stay with us we'll be right back. ♪ >>> welcome back to al jazeera. i'm del walters. news agency is saying the syrian opposition has now been told to expect a strike within days. syria's government says they will defend their nation if attacked. >>> fvrts in northern california say they are optimistic they have gained some ground on the fire burning at yosemite national park. >>> victims and survivors of the fort hood shooting massacre are making their statements to the jury there. a newly released video shows eyewitness testimony of the 1975 assassination attempt on gerald ford. it shows ford answering attorney questions. a jury convicted a manson family member concerning the attempted assassination. the gun was never fired. it was the first time a sitting president gave oral testimony in a criminal trial. >> she was three to four feet from me when i first noticed her. she appeared to want to come forward. i had the impression she did come forward. i didn't see the precise movement. i stopped because i had the impression she wanted to speak to me or shake my hand, an

. >> welcome to al jazeera, i'm dell walters. here's what we're working on at this hour. u.n.inspectors on the ground and under fire in syria. they're there investigating claims of chemical weapons attack. >>> a jury of combat veterans will be determining the fate of a fort hood killer. >>> and wildfires burning out of control in california. [♪ music ] >> al jazeera has just learned that u.s. secretary of state john kerry is going to be