Ed Hershey

Why CPS High School Teacher is Against Reopening

By Ed Hershey

Ed Hershey, Lindblom High School

I wanted to share why I decided to take a PB day Friday. I was explaining some of the non-sense of the Inclusion Return plan with my course team on Wednesday, and thought it might be useful to share here as well (this will not be news to anyone working inclusion, I realize I am repeating some of what's already been put here).

The current inclusion plan at Lindblom requires everyone on the inclusion team to work from the building. Three students have come through for their educational services, though never all on the same day. One could understand that you need a cluster teacher there, one or two SECAs, perhaps an inclusion teacher to service the needs of the small handful of students who showed up.

But as it's been implemented, under Board guidance, the other three Cluster teachers, another dozen SECAs, the clinicians, and all of the inclusion teachers are expected to teach from Lindblom -- working remotely from a room in the building. That means a significant increase of risk of exposure for all of those I mentioned -- with NO "upside" in terms of instruction for their students.  Several of the inclusion teachers expected to report have no inclusion students at all on their roster for this semester.  

The only logic driving this plan is a bureaucratic one: putting more people in the building to set up an expanded re-opening.  With no re-opening on the horizon for high schools, I can only see it as a way to set a precedent for having more people there for the Elementary School Re-opening. Lightfoot's logic appears to me to be meant to serve business interests in the city -- opening schools means childcare for parents, so they could return to work and produce profits. 

I know there had been a more reasonable and sane plan developed locally -- and this was over-ridden by the district. From the standpoint of the mayor's office, the education of students is not the priority. We know public education for the working class has never been a social priority -- if it were, we wouldn't have to scream and yell to get our bathrooms cleaned, or just to have kleenex in our rooms.   

I took a PB Day in solidarity with CTU members who do not feel safe, and who are facing retaliation from the district.   

Solidarity,

-- Ed H