Raise Your Hand's annual fundraiser, Raise a Glass for RYH, is this Tuesday! Join us at Lagunitas Brewing Company on Tuesday, October 2, from 5:30 - 8:30pm. Please buy your ticket in advance so we can plan ahead!
Great beer (and nonalcoholic drinks)! Delicious food- including Carnitas Uruapan! Incredible company! Free, ample parking! Supporting a wonderful cause- elevating parent voice in protecting and strengthening public education in Chicago and beyond! It will be all this & more!
Please support our work on TUESDAY, 10/2! Buy your ticket here. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you next week!
RYH organizing parents around improved care for students with medical needs
Many parents have called us this school year to say their children have not been receiving care at school, and they have had to miss work to spend time at schools to care for their children’s medical needs. There are federal laws that protect children so that they can be at school, and if you are a parent that’s missing work regularly because a nurse doesn’t show up, or you have a rotating crop of temp nurses from a temp agency who are untrained, send us a message: info@ilraiseyourhand.org. Parents are organizing a campaign to stop this unsafe practice!
After reaching out to CPS about this, they actually invited us to meet this week and we met with the head of Special Ed and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) to discuss the issue. We’ll be having another meeting in two weeks.
In addition,the Sun-Times reported that a few nurses got emails last week instructing them to cut minutes on students with chronic medical conditions and transfer the care to school staff. CPS since retracted this directive, but parents should stay vigilant and make sure your child isn’t asked to self-manage prematurely.
Sun-Times: CPS manager advised nurses to cut back on services for diabetic kids
ABC 7: Parent group, teachers' union decry CPS nursing deficiencies
Fall 2018 CPS Special Education Issues SURVEY
In May 2018, after a five-month investigation, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) found that CPS systemic violated special education laws over the last two years. ISBE appointed a monitor to oversee reforms that should have started this school year. However, advocates continue to hear that problems with special education service persist. Please provide the Advocates Group with up-to-date information about your experiences this school year. Only include information about issues you are CURRENTLY witnessing or experiencing. We hope to present this information to the ISBE/monitor and demand both ISBE’s and CPS’ commitment to appropriate services for students with disabilities. This survey contains 17 questions. It will close on October 2, 2018.
Survey in English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SpedIssuesFall2018
Otoño 2018 Problemas de Educación Especial en las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago (CPS)
En mayo del 2018, después de una investigación que duró 5 meses, la Junta Educativa del Estado de Illinois (ISBE) descubrió que las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago (CPS) habían violado sistémicamente las leyes de educación especial durante los últimos dos años. ISBE designaron un monitor para supervisar las reformas que deberían haber empezado este año escolar. Sin embargo, defensores continúan oyendo que los problemas con los servicios de educación especial persisten. Por favor de dar al Grupo de Defensores información actual sobre sus experiencias este año escolar. Solo incluye información sobre problemas que están viendo o sufriendo ACTUALMENTE. Esperemos presentar esta información a ISBE/al monitor y demandar que ISBE y CPS sigan sus compromisos a dar servicios apropiados a estudiantes con discapacidades. Esta encuesta contiene 17 preguntas. Se cerrará el 2 de octubre, 2018.
Survey in Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SpedIssuesSpanish
The unelected BOE met this week
We were there, speaking and live tweeting. You can read our prepared statements here. We’ve also included links to videos of our statements as well as links to live tweet threads by topic such as CPS data presentation, public comment, and 4 new charter school campuses are looking to open next Fall. Some press coverage of the day:
Sun-Times: New South Loop H.S. to serve more students, now could need annex, supporters say
Chalkbeat Chicago: Chicago schools boost spending on law firm investigating sexual misconduct policy
Sun-Times: CPS nixes photo ID requirement to attend board meetings after outcry
Oct 1: deadline for opting out of directory information sharing
One step you can take each year to protect your child’s data privacy is opting out of allowing your child’s school to share so-called directory information with third parties, including things like your child’s name, address, phone and birth date. The deadline in CPS for this opt out is this Monday Oct 1st. Read our advice on opting out of directory information sharing here.
In other news
NPR Illinois: Panel Poised To Tweak School Funding Formula
Sun-Times: CPS recommends firing at least 13 adults based on background re-checks
Chalkbeat Chicago: 5 tough questions a new report puts front-and-center for Chicago’s next mayor Note: This is about the Annual Regional Analysis (ARA); worth a read.
WBEZ: CPS Falling Short Of Promise To Add Social Workers To Help With Trauma
Washington Post: Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel isn’t running for reelection. The under-appreciated reason? School closures.
Upcoming events
⟹ Wednesday, October 3, starting at 8am, WBEZ, 91.5 FM: WBEZ/Chalkbeat Chicago 2018 Election Special: Testing the Candidates.
WBEZ and Chalkbeat Chicago are teaming up and will be interviewing the major party candidates for governor about education issues. You can submit questions for the Oct 3 interviews here. Read more on this effort here: Testing the Candidates: Rauner And Pritzker Tackle 5 Questions On Education
Wed Oct 24, 5:30 - 8:30pm
DePaul University Student Center Room 314AB
2250 North Sheffield Ave
Registration required.
Be the first to comment
Sign in with
Facebook Twitter