Really Chicago Public Schools? (Heat Wave)

Exactly. I don't think putting a child on a bus when it is a 110 degree heat index is ensuring the physical well being of a student. Nor is sending them to walk a mile in -40 windchill. There are limits and times where staff and students are put at risk. Drive around your neighborhood. Look for an "old school" school tomorrow and feel what it feels like inside. Then tell me if this is providing physical well being or physical abuse. Then go sit on an unairconditioned school bus for 45 minutes.

As for the emotional and mental well being- If CPS really wanted to work on that every school would have a dedicated and awesome full time social worker. In my 7 years I've worked with 6- only one has been good- she wasn't just good- she was phenomenal. The rest ask me for advice on how to deal with my kids for 15 minutes when they are supposed to be providing? me with advise and support as well as to the families.

Once again- perhaps i sound heartless, but I am one of the most dedicated teachers out there, but once again I am not a babysitter. I go above and beyond for my students and families- but there comes a time where we cross a line of ridiculousness. I personally felt like we were putting children and staff into dangerous situations today. In the past CPS has come up with such ridiculous solutions as "we'll cancel buses and go to any school you can walk to and have A meal and sit in their gym." Today no meaningful work happened. Today I was a babysitter. Tomorrow I will be the same. I just hope there are no serious reprucussions that happen for putting students and staff in these dangerous situations.

 

In order to put A/C into some of these old buildings it would be very very costly. These buildings are well over 100 years old. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL when well maintained. They frankly would have to have their entire electrical system redone to handle the load. The buildings unfortunately (in the summer) have the ability to hold and retain a tremendous amount of heat. The higher you go, the more unbearable it becomes. So the first floor is usually aweful, but as you go higher it becomes almost impossible to breathe. I know at the end of the school year, we had a heat wave (but nothing like this) and when it was 89 outside the SECOND floor classrooms had temperature readings in the high 90's.

 

Thats craziness... but some very valid points have been made. Some of the children are already use to the heat with no A/C and need a meal. The work conditions aren't ideal... sounds like a sick day I would have to call in.

 

I'm actually not sure if we get "sick days" in the summer. Maybe we do- but to my knowledge there are no subs. That would be unfair to my coworkers. Sometimes in the extreme cold (without snow) I'll take a cab into work because I know my building will be okay once I get there. It is the waiting for the bus/walking that is dangerous.

I think the heat of the schools is much more than the heat of the average apartment, so many might not be used to it. Truthfully on the meal- one of my 11 students actually eats anything from the lunch and he was at home today.

 

Chicagoturtle... that is really tough. Crazy to believe that teachers who are professionals have to work in such working conditions. There comes a time when the "wrongs" have to be fixed instead of them repeatedly happening over and over again.

I read in one of your previous post how you said in such conditions you aren't teaching but rather babysitting. I know if it was 100+ degrees I'm not concentrating on anything besides trying to keep cool.

 

You can take time off in the summer but you won't get paid. It is also more difficult to find subs to cover a teacher for summer school.

Before school year was over, we had a couple of days that were close to 90 and we felt the heat badly in the 3rd floor. We had several students with nose bleeds and at the end of the day I almost passed out.

I wonder if it's going to take for someone to get seriously ill for CPS to wake up and do something. I can't even bring my own portable A/C to make my third floor classroom more bearable since the engineer told me that my classroom could only handle up to 15 watts.

They should at least feed the kids and then send them home. That's what some suburbs did during the end of year heat wave. They sent kids home early. At least the kids without A/C at home can find refuge from the heat at libraries, malls, or stores.

 

Marci... I'm just about speechless. I believe thats ridiculous... working in those kind of conditions.

 

I honestly didn't know what the policy was for summer school. I hardly EVER take my days anyway- so I would have to be seriously ill to take one. I once called in sick from the ER.

The heat wave days were pretty bad at the end of the year. We had about a week- we essentially had an hour and a half "normal" without the lights on and the shades drawn and then we watched a movie each day. I am on the first floor, which is more bearable.

I think it is going to take something serious. I'm assuming you are in CPS from your posts. Look at the "aftermath" way they dealt with the allergy situation around March after they had a kid die who had a food allergy. Suddenly then every kid with a serious allergy had to have a 504 and yesterday. I mean we were all flabbergasted when they closed for the snow this year. It was the one smart move weather related they've made in the 7 years I've worked here. Though that caused them to cut summer school 2 days short and I believe that is the problem we are having now. I thought only ESY was left in session, but I guess bridge is too. If kids miss a certain amount of days with bridge they will get retained. Since Track E starts the week after the six week of summer- they've left themselves with not much of a contingency plan.

The city itself is so worried after I guess 700 people died awhile back- I guess there was a book about it- that they have many options available. A family simply needs to dial 3-1-1 to get assistance.

 

No. I teach in East Garfield Park to a population that is 100% low-income and African American. CPS historically does not care about these children, but that's another thread entirely.

 

They'll build them a new school, the families will get all excited and then they'll throw them out and put in a charter.

CPS will also say they do care. It is you that does not have high expectations. Isn't there a "puking" smily?

I'm so glad I work in an awesome school. A school respected by CPS. Though I know that nearly all of the teachers in this district are hard working and some "get the shaft" (to quote my new favorite one of Rahm's) when they work very hard and do what is best for children.

I don't know if I have just been jaded over the years or if things are getting worse by the day. I think it is the latter. Things were crazy when I started- but not this ridiculous.

 

or at least play in the sprinkler outside eating popscicles! I just can't believe teachers and students are expected to suffer - talk about misery. Hard to believe this happens in the U.S.

 

Yep, CPS teacher here. I just hope our school doesn't go track E as I know many schools are. Our AP just came from a school who went on track E even if the school didn't have A/C. This is really dumb because there is no way students can focus and learn in those extreme conditions and the month of August has a lot of hot days.

 

The only rooms in my school with AC are the computer rooms. The AC was not put in for the kids but was put in so that the servers stayed cool enough to run! The kids and staff can fry as far as the school is concerned but the computers deserve AC! They also re-glazed the school a few years back so that now we can only open windows 4 inches meaning that it is almost impossible to move air through the buildings!

 

We have A/C in the computer labs too and when the air conditioning broke in the principal's office (which was renovated last summer) they had a technician come right the same day to fix it.

Right before the school year ended, we had a couple of days of exteme heat and since the school is going through a tuckpointing process(fixing bricks), we weren't allowed to open the windows. I was on the third floor and unable to open windows in the extreme heat, it was horrible.

 

So today I think there were 21 adults and 14 children. This is out of I think 130 children......

 

Well.. in some aspects sounds like it worked out for you. And I'm sure of the 14 that came... they really needed them to be there. Perhaps their conditions were far worse at home. If nothing else... you can say it was partially an "easy" day.

 

Umm I should add- it was so hot- you couldn't close the doors in some of the bathrooms because the wood expanded!

 

Old thread but very interesting that this year CPS is trying to play the good guy......

http://cps.edu/News/Press_releases/Pages/06_28_2012_PR1.aspx

It is REALLY hot out, but much cooler than last year when they made the kids attend. Some dirty politics at play......

 

Well I am hosting 6 Chicago high school students and 3 staff in Birmingham (The original) next week. They won't have to worry about the heat over here. Currently we have monsoon conditions with flooding on a huge scale.

 

Flooding, blazer? Good heavens.

 

I couldn't believe it either!

 

Weaalmost had our school flooded on Thursday. If it hadn't have been for the janotor team working in the deluge to keep the drains clear of all the muck that was being washed into them we would have had the main building under water. This would have flooded the basement boiler rooms and thus deprived the school of hot water meaning closure. Oh hang on.....