We hope you and your family are well. Yes, this newsletter has a lot of content- again. If you read and scroll you'll find many things of value. You can find the RYH COVID-19 Resources page here- we try to update this daily. You can read more about what we are doing during this time here. Here are all the ways to stay in touch with us. Stay well, friends.

~ RYH Board & Staff

Updated 4.8.20, 11AM. Thank you for visiting our COVID-19 Resources webpage. 

QUICK LINKS... COVID-19 Resources from Raise Your Hand (pdf links have working links & are good for printing; jpg links are good for texting & social media use):

• RYH webpage: RYH Remote Learning SpEd Resources from CPS Parents, Teachers & Clinicians Created 4.8.20 | One pager of resources (pdf) (jpg)
• RYH list compiled from several Zoom calls with SpEd community: What SpEd Parents Want to See from CPS re Remote Learning Created 4.8.20
• RYH webpage: CPS Grab & Go Meal Sites: Changes for Spring Break & beyond Created 4.3.20 One pager (pdf) (jpg) 
• One pager: RYH CPS Remote Learning Guidance (Synopsis) (pdf) (jpg) Created 4.1.20
• One pager: Various Supportive Resources (pdf) (jpg here) Created 4.2.20
• This webpage you are now visiting: RYH COVID-19 Resources
• Hope is a Discipline | Community Buildings and Resources during COVID-19 : A Letter from our Executive Director | Links to resources
• We are hosting weekly virtual meetings for parents of children with special needs and LSC members | Email info@ilraiseyourhand.org to connect on these

The Advocate Group is holding a series of Special Education Workshops to help parents determine if their child may be eligible for extra special education services. Please join us!

Marca Bristo, a dynamic and inspiring Chicago-based disability rights activist, died this past Sunday and leaves behind an incredible legacy where she transformed the landscape for people with disabilities in this country. The Founder of Access Living, she was tenacious, gregarious, strategic and had a vision of a world where people with disabilities would live in a world of inclusion, independence and empowerment.  As she took a leading role in the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, she changed the conversation about accessibility for people with disabilities from one where public and private institutions had no obligation to provide access to one where access for all is a Civil Right.

It’s just a start. We parents know that the reality on the ground, in our schools, ultimately doesn’t reflect the promises made by a mayor- we heard too many promises made at press conferences by Rahm.

CPS failed thousands of students in 2016 - 2018!

This new, Lightfoot appointed CPS Board of Education is implementing all sorts of changes to bring greater transparency! We attended and spoke at the July 24, 2019 meeting. You can see our prepared statements below. Our thread of live tweets is here. You can find press coverage of the meeting far below.

We attended and spoke at the June 26, 2019 monthly meeting of the CPS Board of Education- the first one of the Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed BOE. Find the new appointed BOE members plus their bios here. 

Our prepared statements are below. You can watch video of our speakers here. You can find our live tweets from the meeting here. Follow #cpsboard as well. 

Here is the document we submitted about the CPS School Quality Rating Policy(SQRP) written by Cassie Creswell of Raise Your Hand Action.

As you know, Jennie Biggs, our Communications and Outreach Director, participated in the three meetings of Mayor-elect Lightfoot’s Education Transition Committee. There were about 50 people in the Committee. We shared information about this Transition Committee and a link to the RYH Memo to the Mayor here. We were skeptical and wary of the process and we still are. We are dedicated to our parent powered and informed advocacy in Chicago and Illinois and we will continue to hold elected officials and decision makers accountable.  

We attended and spoke at the April 24, 2019 monthly meeting of the unelected CPS Board of Education meeting- the last one under Rahm. Our prepared statements are below with links to videos of our speakers. You can find our live tweets from the meeting here.