Chicago Schools Make Plans to Reopen
How are you impacted by schools opening during this pandemic?
Chicago Public Schools released their reopening plan last week. Depending on a student’s grade, health and learning situation, CPS will offer in-person and remote learning. Here’s a simple breakdown, presented in collaboration between The Chicago Reporter and WBEZ that lets you zoom in on an easy-to-read summary of what we know about the different scenarios. The tool will be updated so please check back. Dr. Arwady from the Chicago Department of Public Health answers questions about the reopening plan with Dr. Janice Jackson, CEO of Chicago Public Schools (Facebook Live).
Rev. Susan Soric, a 63-year-old married mother of two elementary school children contributed an article to our Voices from the Community blog,
“School has been on my mind since mid-March. So has my health. I have four or five pre-existing conditions, including age, autoimmune and inflammatory disease, that made COVID-19 potentially very dangerous for me, if not deadly. After just a few months of lock-down, why open up schools in the middle of a raging pandemic?” Read more >
The Chicago Teacher’s Union released its report, Same Storm, Different Boats highlighting the needs of students, their families and educators in order to teach and learn in person. CTU also held a Safe Schools Car Caravan in protest of the reopening plan. Teachers from around the country expressed reopening concerns in a recent Slate article, “If You Want Us to Reopen, You Cannot Leave your House from Now until September.”
CPS intends to release a finalized plan the first week of August. A final decision about in-person instruction will be announced later in the month.
Make your voice heard by filling out a survey created by CPS and by participating in a series of virtual community meetings hosted by CPS beginning July 27. Look for a national day of action on August 3.
Your voice is vital!
During this challenging time for educators and families, CRS remembers one of our own, former Board Chair Dr. Sammie Dortch, Ed.D. who was a passionate advocate for social justice, and outstanding educator and a mentor to emerging non-profit leaders.