Car demonstration at District 230 offices to take place today
Demonstration follows an online petition from teachers' union calling for remote learning to start the school year
A car demonstration at Consolidated High School District 230’s administrative offices is expected to take place this morning, according to an anonymous tipster.
Last week, the district’s Teachers’ Association created an online petition calling for the District 230 Board of Education to switch from its approved hybrid/remote reopening plan for the fall 2020 semester to a fully remote learning plan because of health and safety concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“In-person learning during the Covid-19 global pandemic is stressful and difficult for our students. Their learning conditions directly impacts their success. We must begin the semester remote learning,” the petition states.
At that time, a district teacher told the Blueprint the union was considering a car protest parade. Last week, the Illinois Education Association and Illinois Federation of Teachers announced they will support strikes over reopening plans, according to Chalkbeat Chicago.
Yesterday, teachers and activists downtown demonstrated against reopening Chicago Public Schools, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The protest comes three days before parents and families are supposed to notify the district their choice of either hybrid learning or 100% remote learning for their kids. The Aug. 7 decision can’t be reversed during the course of the fall semester, according to the approved plan.
According to a New York Times database, four people would be expected to arrive infected with covid-19 in the first week of school at a school with 1,000 students in Cook County. For Will County, the Times projects three people for a school of 1,000, the upper limit of the model. Carl Sandburg High School, for example, has nearly 3,000 students, not including hundreds of teachers, staff, support staff, administrators and others in the building. Under the approved plan, the district is to start at 25% capacity, which will likely be lower because of the amount of students who will opt for remote learning.
The decision of school reopening comes as cases in the Chicago suburbs continue to rise, with many suburbs having higher positivity rates than the city of Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Thank you for prioritizing the safety of students teachers and staff. The risk of contracting the virus is now greater than it was in March because it is now more widespread. We have no more protection now than we did in March when we decided to close schools.