RYH Newsletter 10.7.20

Oct 7

We are less than 1 week away from #RYHRaiseAGlass2020! We are slightly over 50% of our fundraising goal- can you support Raise Your Hand by buying a ticket? We are actively sending RYH swag!

Here’s a Wednesday afternoon treat for you…

A video of how to make our signature Raise A Glass cocktail/mocktail “The Remote Learning”!

Enjoy!

Our annual fundraiser goes virtual this year, October 13 - 23, and includes several family friendly events. On Thurs, Oct 15, 6:30PM, we will host Ed Justice Trivia! You can compete via Kahoot to show your knowledge of educational justice efforts here in Chicago (Which CPS CEO has NOT left in disgrace?) and with a sprinkle of RYH trivia of course (How many mayors have RYH delivered letters to?) Join us! Raise A Glass 2020 program links will be listed here.

There are other ways to support our fundraiser: Submit Art for our Reimagine Education Art Showcase | Participate in our Talent Show

RYH’s Remote Learning Town Hall- TONIGHT!

💻 Let's talk: State of Remote Learning and Future of Hybrid Learning Town Hall

Wed, Oct 7 | 6-7:30PM | Register here

Join parents, caregivers, youth, educators, and others to share:

What works and does not work in remote learning

What is needed to improve remote learning

What needs to happen for hybrid learning to work

💻 Did you miss last Wednesday's Remote Learning Best Practices Virtual Forum? You can watch it here. It's worth a watch & about an hour in length.

Do We Know Yet What’s Happening in Quarter 2?

"No," is the quick answer. Quarter 2 starts Mon, Nov 9, in CPS. Some issues have come up which might impact the decision.

School building air quality- is it being tested??? Chalkbeat Chicago: Chicago says it won't reopen schools until it completes air quality checks
On Friday, an arbitrator sided with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) who had filed a lawsuit regarding unsafe conditions for school clerks, clerk assistants, and tech coordinators who reported back to in person work in late August. The arbitrator ruled that the district should err on the side of caution and remote work should be conducted when feasible. CPS said they will contest the decision.
- Chalkbeat Chicago: Labor ruling could complicate Chicago’s fall school reopening timeline
- WTTW: CTU: Schools Must Improve Ventilation, Safety Before In-Person Learning Resumes
The pandemic continues and impacts school communities and families.
- The Warrior: BREAKING: Person on Lane campus last week for SAT tests positive for COVID-19
- Our hearts and thoughts are with the Funston ES community as well as the family of Olga Quiroga. Please read this beautiful tribute from the Chicago Tribune: CPS teacher who died of COVID-19 cleaned houses before earning her college degree and had ‘an incredible instinct for working with children’
Meanwhile in New York, schools in “hot zone” zip codes are back to remote learning.
- Chalkbeat New York: NY state’s new virus hotspot maps could mean more school closures

Please follow RYH Social Media so we can keep you posted. We share news & upcoming events daily. Search @ILRaiseYourHand: Facebook Page | Twitter | Instagram . Our Facebook group is where lively discussions occur.

Remote Learning & Student Privacy

First, some local news: We’ve heard from many parents and teachers about the pros & cons as well as the concerns with the use of GoGuardian. CPS shared a Parent’s Guide to GoGuardian on Sept 25. GoGuardian received some local press coverage this week:

Sun-Times: CPS teachers could look inside students’ homes — without their knowledge — before fix | Maestros de CPS pudieron haber visto dentro de los hogares de sus estudiantes, sin su conocimiento

For a more global view: Late last week the Advancement Project and Alliance for Educational Justice hosted a Know Your Rights: Surveillance in Schools Before, After, and During the COVID-19 Pandemic webinar with organizations involved in the #PoliceFreeSchools movement. You can watch the webinar here, the slide presentation is here, and here are more resources which came in the follow up email.

Local School Council (LSC) Events & Resources

We are hosting LSC 301: LSC Elections Support

Wednesday, October 14th at 7:00pm | Register

The LSCs.4.All Coalition is hosting a LSC Training, Module 4: Budget

Thursday, October 8th at 6:00pm | Register

Resources

Check out our Local School Council Resources on the RYH website to learn more about LSCs, campaigning as a candidate, and voting.
This is the CPS webpage for LSC Elections & candidate materials.
Chalkbeat Chicago & DataMade LSC Election Guide: Chicago’s school council elections are around the corner. Here’s your guide

Special Education Resources, News, Survey, & Event

We have a new RYH Special Education Parent Resources for Remote Learning and More webpage.

Check out this video from Sept 2: Panel Discussion on Remote Learning with Jackie Ross (Loyola Law) and Melanie Grant (Equip for Equality) [Slide Presentation]
This webpage is a work in progress. If you have any suggestions for additional resources, please pass the links along to Mary at faheyhughes@gmail.com.

CPS ODLSS Parent Fact Sheet- Remote Learning Plan - pictured below

Found here | pdf here

Sun-Times: Charter school network needs to add, not cut special education positions: Union leaders

Chalkbeat Chicago has a survey for families of children with disabilities here and in Spanish here: Familias de Chicago: ¿Cómo funciona el aprendizaje a distancia para su hijo/hija con necesidades especiales?

➡️ SAVE THE DATE! Sat, Oct 17, 10AM - 12PM. Special Ed Legal Clinic with Loyola School of Law Civitas ChildLaw Center and Equip for Equality where you can speak 1:1 with an attorney or advocate about your specific special ed concerns. More details coming soon!

RESERVE LA FECHA para una Clínica Legal de Educación Especial con “Loyola School of Law Civitas ChildLaw Center,” “Equip for Equality,” y varios abogados privados de Educación Especial, donde puede programar un bloque de 15 minutos para hablar con un abogado o defensor de educación especial experiencia educativa - Sábado 17 de octubre de 2020, 10:00 am - 12:00 p.m.. Detalles de registro por venir.