The Chicago Teachers Union is demanding that city schools continue remote learning in the fall, making the case that there’s no way to safely bring students into school as cases of COVID-19 increase.
“The only plan CPS has available right now is one that mitigates harm, which means there is still risk and people will still encounter harm,” CTU president Jesse Sharkey wrote in a letter to the public.
This declaration came on the same day Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot promised the school district would be unveiling its plan soon for the coming school year. CPS said a preliminary framework for the new school is expected by the end of the week. Lightfoot indicated her plan will include in-person instruction, but that it may be adjusted if the COVID-19 situation changes
“We’re not going to make that decision in mid-July, when school doesn’t reopen until after Labor Day,” Lightfoot said. In the past, she has talked about the need to have classes in session, especially for younger students who may struggle online. School is scheduled to resume on Sept. 8.
In a statement, CPS spokesman Michael Passman added that the school reopening framework “will be introduced this week to gain feedback from students, parents and staff, but a decision on the potential for in-person instruction will not be made until closer to the school year when we can fully assess the public health situation at that time.”
“The health and safety of our students and staff is paramount,” he said, “and our planning for the fall will be guided by the best available data and guidance from state and local health officials.”
Lightfoot caused some alarm earlier this week when she said a final decision on school reopening plans wouldn’t come until late August.
Wednesday morning, she clarified that the school district will be giving parents an idea of what to expect so they can plan for it.
But the union got in front of the mayor and school district by releasing a 10-page report Wednesday evening that lists demands for safely returning to school buildings. Depending on whether instruction is all or partially in-person, it estimates it would cost between $450 million and $1.7 billion.
Among the many demands for going back to school buildings, the union is calling for class sizes of no more than 12 students, extra services for disabled students to make up what was lost during the shutdown and wide-ranging mental health support for students and school staff who have been traumatized.
The union also is pushing for measures that will help communities in general, including paid sick leave for parents and more contract tracing.
Meanwhile, parents and teachers in Chicago have become increasingly frustrated that the school district has held off announcing firm plans. The Los Angeles Unified School District announced earlier this week that school will continue to be online when it opens on Aug. 18. And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said classroom attendance at schools in his city will only be in-person one to three days a week this fall.
So this was just delivered to every Leyden High School parent’s mailbox.
This was clearly written and produced as if there was no pandemic. The information contained in this mailing was irrelevant before they mailed it. Each envelope cost $1.81 to mail.
We should all have a few questions few questions.
How much was spent on the 8 1/2 x 11 magnet that will just be thrown in the garbage by a majority of Leyden Parents?
Why couldn’t it just be posted on their webpage?
How much was the total cost of the mailing ?
Why do an individual mailing with identical duplicate information for each student in the same family ?
This is a complete waste of money!
Everyone has experienced tremendous real estate tax increases in their latest bills, with school districts constituting 65% of the bills.
This mailing didn’t even support the ill conceived now abandoned fantasy reopening of Leyden High School’s; while chaos now reigns as the District attempts to cobble together a total remote learning experience that they had 6 months to plan and failed to effectively use the time.
The District continues to demonstrate bad education management decisions and inept management of taxpayer money.
A special thank you to Bobby Riesterer for all of the work that you put into the making of this video and the countless hours you have spent over the last 17 years supporting the Leyden High School Marching Band. Also a thank you to all of the parents and volunteers who have spent countless hours this last season as well as past years supporting and making this a special experience for all of the marching band members.
And an acknowledgment and thank you to Bryan Miller and Abby Kott for the superb skills and delivery of a tremendous educational experience for all of the instrumental and marching band students.
As we endure this pandemic we continue to look forward to great music opportunities going forward and offer our support and prayers for a future successful music experience for all of the current and future Leyden High School students.
After reading the Fed’s “Deferred Prosecution Agreement”(see below), I wasn’t surprised. I’ve known Individual A for a very long time, and never trusted him. What has always, and still remains a mystery to me … Why did Speaker Madigan trust him??? .
The legislative process is much more complicated than 98% of the public understands…Some lobbyists over sell themselves and their influence If you want to understand the process — considered “corruption” by some … Read… “You’re the Boss – My Story of a Life in Practical Politics” by FDR’s political operative, Edward J. Flynn (see below link).
Federal investigators pursuing possible corruption within Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s orbit subpoenaed his state office Friday, seeking records involving AT&T, Walgreens, Rush University Medical Center and a host of political operatives and lobbyists.
“Sourced from WBEZ and other sources as listed below”
Madigan’s office July 17 received a grand jury subpoena for documents related to the ongoing federal investigation, according to WGN. According to Mark Maxwell of WCIA-TV, Capitol Police at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield saw men in suits enter the building Friday morning. One flashed an FBI badge.Madigan’s office issued a statement: “This morning the Speaker accepted subpoenas related to his various offices for documents, asking for, among other things, documents related to possible job recommendations. He will cooperate and respond to those requests for documents, which he believes will clearly demonstrate that he has done nothing criminal or improper.”
Chicago, IL. (ECWd) – The Federal Prosecutor for the Northern District of Illinois has published a charge sheet and deferred prosecution agreement with COMED in a bribery scheme. These documents paint the story of bribery, favors, payments, ghost payrolls, board appointments, and other things in order to obtain favorable legislation. The Speaker of the House is implicated as being involved. [ 929 more words ] https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2020/07/federal-prosecutor-implicates-house-speaker-madigan-in-comed-bribery-probe/
Pritzker says he’s “furious” about the allegations surrounding Madigan, and says if they are true, then Madigan will have to resign.
JB should have a bill introduced that anyone that takes a bribe or is guilty of corruption in Illinois be sentenced to 25 yrs in prison. The citizens of Illinois deserve better.
Jack Franks Takes $66,915 from Campaign Fund for Legal Fees – McHenry County Blog
The stunning expansion of the federal probe came on the same day federal prosecutors in Chicago charged utility giant Commonwealth Edison with bribery and hit the company with a $200 million fine as part of a criminal legal settlement. The new areas of federal interest into some of the state’s most prominent corporations and one of its most noteworthy hospitals were identified in a sprawling request to Madigan’s office that also sought records about ComEd and its past executives.
Investigators also sought records pertaining to members of Madigan’s political organization, the speaker’s law firm, four former state lawmakers, four former or current Chicago alderman and a Chinatown land deal that was a cornerstone of a federal corruption probe that brought down former Ald. Danny Solis.
The level of corruption is beyond belief. From payoffs, to nepotism, to the typical democratic “pay for my cronies”. This probe and investigation is going to be very eye opening (one hopes) into the vast depth of why Illinois is in the shitter.
The subpoena also sought information from the Speaker’s office on some of his closest allies and operatives:
Will Cousineau, a former top Madigan aide-turned-lobbyist for ComEd. He became a lobbyist in 2017 after nearly 18 years as a Madigan aide, including an eight-year run as political director for the speaker and the Madigan-led Democratic Party of Illinois. Cousineau’s lobbying firm stopped representing ComEd in Springfield in October 2019, WBEZ has reported.
Frank Clark, who spent nearly five decades at ComEd, working his way up from the mailroom to become the company’s first Black chairman and CEO, from 2005 to 2012. In 2016, Clark and another ex-ComEd Exec, John Hooker, filed a lawsuit to block a legislative redistricting proposal that threatened Madigan’s grip on political power. Last year, WBEZ reported that Clark’s name appeared on a subpoena — along with Madigan’s — when federal agents raided the City Club of Chicago.
Frank Olivo, the former alderman of Madigan’s 13th Ward power base on Chicago’s Southwest Side. After leaving the City Council, Olivo became a City Hall lobbyist for ComEd, records show. The subpoena also sought records relating to a “Frank Olivo Jr.”
Ed Moody, a veteran precinct captain for Madigan who has been a Democratic Cook County commissioner and the county’s recorder of deeds. Moody has known Madigan since he was a boy and has referred to him as a father figure for him.
Shaw Decremer, a former top political operative for Madigan. The speaker said he cut ties with Decremer over alleged “inappropriate behavior” in 2016 but Decremer continues to lobby in Springfield. His clients have included gambling companies, Major League Baseball and the NBA, state records show.
Michael Zalewski, a former alderman from the 23rd Ward whose home was raided last year in the ComEd probe. Zalewski’s son is an important member of Madigan’s House Democratic caucus and his son’s wife, Carrie Zalewski, heads the state agency that regulates ComEd. WBEZ reported last monththat Madigan recommended Carrie Zalewski to head the Illinois Commerce Commision before Gov. JB Pritzker appointed her to the post.
Ray Nice, another longtime Madigan precinct captain from the Southwest Side. WBEZ reported last year that Nice worked for ComEd.
Eddie Acevedo, a former Democratic state representative from Chicago who recently told the Chicago a Tribune that he did consulting work for ComEd.
The Reyes Kurson law firm and the Roosevelt Group, a lobbying company. Both those entities involve Victor Reyes, who once headed a scandal-scarred Hispanic political group in Chicago that was allied to Madigan and to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Springfield, IL. (ECWd) – According to a tweet by Mark Maxwell, WCIA, “Capitol police saw men in suits at the statehouse today. One officer said one of them flashed an FBI credential. Now, per @BenBradleyTV, @WGNNews is reporting that Mike Madigan’s office was served grand jury subpoenas for documents.” Illinois Policy is also reporting on the subpoena: [ https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2020/07/speaker-madigans-office-served-with-grand-jury-subpoena/
Amid a global pandemic and mass protests against police brutality, it’s easy to forget Illinois government remains the target of the largest federal corruption probe in the history of the most corrupt state.
The feds have raided, questioned, indicted or jailed dozens of Illinois political figures during the past two years. These are the symptoms of the state’s toxic political culture. Public servants expect special And Gov. J.B. Pritzker is happy to oblige, according to a new investigation by WBEZ.The report found Pritzker filled at least 35 state jobs with individuals on House Speaker Mike Madigan’s “clout list.” A Madigan aide sent the list to Pritzker chief of staff Anne Caprara in December 2018. The speaker’s office then updated the list 17 times.“The speaker’s vast efforts to influence the personnel decisions of the new administration provides a sharp contrast to Pritzker’s repeated campaign promises to be his own man once elected to the Governor’s Mansion,” wrote reporter Dan Mihalopoulos.
Perhaps most notable is what WBEZ could not find amid thousands of emails: a Pritzker staffer telling the speaker to stop.While Madigan put his stamp of approval on 35 Pritzker hires, recommendations from the three other legislative leaders combined yielded two paid positions from the governor’s office, according to the report.
Those taxpayer-funded appointments paid off for the governor.
Madigan greenlit Pritzker’s full legislative agenda in Spring 2019, including 20 tax and fee hikes totaling $4.6 billion and placing the governor’s progressive income tax constitutional amendment on the November 2020 ballot.
Beyond the speaker’s picks, the investigation showed Democratic state Rep. Luis Arroyo and state Sen. Martin Sandoval each secured key transportation appointments from Pritzker for their allies before being indicted on corruption charges. Both lawmakers were critical to passing Pritzker’s $45 billion infrastructure package and doubled gas tax hike.
Additional emails obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute show close communication between Madigan bagman Mike McClain and senior Pritzker staff about hiring decisions and other issues throughout 2019. Federal agents raided McClain’s Quincy home last year amid a continuing investigation into Commonwealth Edison’s relationship with the speaker’s office.On Feb. 22, 2019, McClain sent an email to Pritzker’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs Tiffany Newbern.“Tiffany, I understand that there are still quite a few liaison jobs open for your departments,” McClain wrote. “Have you looked at [redacted]. She is ‘young’ to the dark side but is impressive.”
“Thank you for sharing … I would be happy to bring her in for an interview,” Newbern replied.
After WBEZ released its investigation, top Pritzker staff members fired off dozens of tweets complaining about the coverage, while failing to note any inaccuracies.Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh suggested the investigation was insulting to women and minorities who were hired on merit, not clout. But 24 of the 35 Pritzker hires from Madigan’s list were men, according to the WBEZ reporter. And a majority of the women hired were McClain sent an email to Abudayyeh in April 2019 expressing his sympathies following news that Pritzker was the subject of a federal investigation for removing toilets from his Chicago mansion in order to secure a property tax break. The Cook County inspector general called it a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers.“I hope you had some time to relax and breathe during the Easter/Passover break. (I am deeply sorry about the alleged federal investigation),” McClain wrote.Pritzker has not apologized for the clouted hires. More importantly, he has not yet signed into law a single significant anti-corruption Pritzker was lying on the campaign trail when he tried to distance himself from the speaker’s influence. In the absence of reform, he’s lying about corruption, too.
When the U.S. Department of Justice dropped that federal hammer on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Friday, I thought of the shock waves spreading out to Democratic bosses across the country, and the sound of Illinois political rats scurrying for cover they won’t find.
But mostly I thought of Boss Madigan’s eyes, blue stones made flat and cold from 50 years as the political boss of the most politically corrupt state in the country.
Column: Boss Madigan can see what’s coming and like Chicago’s top fed says, ‘It’s not good’
By JOHN KASSCHICAGO TRIBUNEJUL 17, 2020 AT 7:06 PM
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan appears at the state Capitol in November. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
When the U.S. Department of Justice dropped that federal hammer on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Friday, I thought of the shock waves spreading out to Democratic bosses across the country, and the sound of Illinois political rats scurrying for cover they won’t find.
But mostly I thought of Boss Madigan’s eyes, blue stones made flat and cold from 50 years as the political boss of the most politically corrupt state in the country.ADVERTISEMENThttps://9ffcdab42b131bd2d7200e78c3ade37d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.htmlabout:blank
Madigan can see what’s coming and he can see the past. For five decades he’s held the tribes together, with his iron will, and his word, his discipline, and expert use of fear and power
“We told him years ago he should retire,” a Madigan friend said Friday, as the federal hammer came down. “We’d say, ‘You made enough money. You had all that power. It’s time to go.’
“And you know what he’d say? He’d say, ‘Yeah, but if I retire, what am I going to do?’ ”
What is Madigan going to do? How about trying to stay out of federal prison? That’s something to do.
Madigan wasn’t charged with any crimes, but that wasn’t the point when U.S. Attorney John Lausch pulled that big federal bus out Friday — the one with a driver named RICO — and outlined how Commonwealth Edison would cooperate in the federal investigation.
The giant utility agreed to pay $200 million in fines for assisting in a bribery and corruption scheme to benefit “Public Official A” that cost electric rate payers across Illinois real money in rate increases.
In exchange — though it wasn’t explicitly stated except as “cooperation” — ComEd turned over its intelligence and its people will testify.
Implicated are Madigan’s Democratic precinct captains with those do-nothing jobs, and Madigan-friendly contractors and Madigan-approved political lobbyists.
Reporters kept asking Lausch to identify Public Official A, but he refused. In the government filing, Public Official A is defined as the “Speaker of the Illinois House.”
There is only one: Madigan.
All of Madigan’s toadies, from the politicos to friendly internet gossipmongers, must be washing themselves in holy water right about now. Some will shout they’re not part of it. Some have already tried distancing themselves. Others will tell their lawyers to cut a deal.
But there won’t be any deal for Madigan. He’s the target. Targets don’t make deals. Targets see their families on visitors day.
Say what you want about Mike Madigan, and I have, he’s no hypocrite.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned parents today to prepare for a semester unlike “any other” as school districts grapple with the need to require masks, social distancing and remote learning options to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Pritzker, today said school districts must have options to provide for remote learning, not just for at-risk students and families, but also in case “things get worse.”
Pritzker also said his confidence level in leading the state through the pandemic was high after case numbers started dipping in May, but acknowledged he now feels “challenged” due to nationwide spikes and an uptick in Illinois.
“If those rules are followed and if we can maintain and push down the numbers as we watch them in Illinois, then I would say that there can be in-person learning. And again, not for everybody,” he said, specifically pointing to children and families with immunocompromised systems.
“So we have to be very, very careful. This is not going to be a school semester like any other that I’m aware of. Just be prepared for that fact. It’s just really going to be that way, no matter what. Even if we keep our numbers down, this virus has not gone away,” he said.
Pritzker announced school reopening guidelines on June 23, giving deference to local school districts. But questions about oversight remained, and the Illinois State Board of Education acknowledged it would not review individual district plans.
At the time, Pritzker sought to downplay the lack of state oversight, saying, “Every superintendent, every teacher, every person that works in the school, paraprofessionals, not to mention the students and families, all have the same interest — which is to keep these children and the people who work there safe.”
The state guidance to bring students back into classrooms calls for face coverings and suggests social distancing “as much as possible.” It also limits gatherings to under 50, requests increased schoolwide cleaning and disinfecting, and symptom screening and temperature checks for people entering schools.
The state’s major teachers unions questioned the adequacy of the guidelines with Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery saying they appeared more “aspirational” than grounded in “reality” with no certification that safety rules would be implemented and practiced.
The issue of school opening has become a political one with President Donald Trump insisting on a return to full time in-person instruction and warning of the withholding of federal funding for districts that do not comply.
At Thursday’s White House briefing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump wants schools to open, “and when he says open, he means open and full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school. The science should not stand in the way of this.”
Pritzker on Thursday said school districts must have options to provide for remote learning, not just for at-risk students and families, but also in case “things get worse.”
Remote learning, he acknowledged, was “not nearly as good as in-person learning, there’s no doubt,” but said districts must have “hybrid opportunities” due to “this very uncertain world of novel coronavirus.”
Pritzker acknowledged that as the state headed toward its pandemic peak this spring, with rising cases, hospitalizations and deaths, “my confidence level was low about everything.”
“As we came down the other side of that peak, my confidence level raised,” he said. “Now that we have a massive uptick in cases all across the country, my confidence level is challenged.
“And then I look at the state of Illinois, and although we’ve had a mild uptick, it’s one that I watch every day because anybody that knows anything about epidemics knows that when you have a mild uptick, there’s an indicator you’re heading in the wrong direction and it may multiply. So we want to make sure we get a handle on that,” he said.
Illinois has seen its rolling seven-day average of positive testing increase to 3.1% from as low as 2% last month. The average number of positive cases has increased from 622 a day three weeks ago to 1,039 a day this week, through Wednesday, based on statistics from Johns Hopkins University.
The state on Tuesday announced 1,257 new known cases of the coronavirus in Illinois, along with 25 deaths. That brings the total number of known cases since the pandemic began to 157,950, and the death toll to 7,251.
Pritzker called on bar and restaurant owners to be “extra careful and vigilant” in following public health guidelines and capacity limits to avoid the potential for creating outbreaks that could lead to business shutdowns.
“I realize there’s an incentive, you know, to have more and more people. That’s been historically your incentive. ‘Let’s have more people come to the restaurant or bar.’ But right now, if that happens and there are outbreaks, you’ll end up getting shut down, and you may end up shutting down all the bars or restaurants,” he said.
In 1984, de Blasio worked for the Urban Fellows Program at theNew York City Department of Juvenile Justice.[26][27]In 1987, shortly after completing graduate school at Columbia, de Blasio was hired to work as a political organizer by theQuixote CenterinMaryland. In 1988, he traveled with the Quixote Center toNicaraguafor 10 days to help distribute food and medicine during theNicaraguan Revolution. De Blasio was an ardent supporter of the rulingsocialistgovernment, theSandinista National Liberation Front, which was opposed by theReagan administrationat the time.[27]After returning from Nicaragua, de Blasio moved to New York City, where he worked for anonprofit organizationfocused on improving health care in Central America.[27]He continued to support the Sandinistas in his spare time and joined a group called the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, which held meetings and fundraisers for the Sandinista political party.[27]De Blasio’s introduction to city politics came in 1989, when he worked as a volunteer coordinator forDavid Dinkins‘mayoral campaign.[28]Following the campaign, de Blasio was an aide inCity Hall.[29][28]In 1990, he described himself as an advocate fordemocratic socialismwhen asked about his goals for society.[27]
U.S. RepresentativeCharles Rangeltapped de Blasio to be his campaign manager for his successful1994reelection bid.[30]In 1997, he was appointed to serve as the regional director for theUnited States Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD) for New York and New Jersey under the administration of PresidentBill Clinton. As the tri-state region’s highest-ranking HUD official, de Blasio led a small executive staff and took part in outreach to residents of substandard housing.[31][32]In 1999, he was elected to be a school board member for Brooklyn School District 15.[33]The following year, he served as campaign manager forHillary Clinton‘s successfulUnited States Senate bid.
Despite being mayor of New York, de Blasio is a passionate fan of theNew York Yankees‘ archrivals, having said he has a “deep devotion” to theBoston Red Sox.[204
UPDATE——-One person was killed and four others wounded in a June 27 shooting at this house on the 100 block of Picton Road in Roselle.
In their first substantial statement since the shooting, Roselle police on Tuesday said more than 60 shots were fired in the fracas.
More than 60 gunshots were fired during a fracas at a rented house June 27 in Roselle in which one man was killed and four people were wounded, Roselle police said Tuesday.
Responding officers “were met with resistance” as they approached the home and tried to aid those who were shot, police said in a statement. No Roselle officers fired their weapons.
The police statement is the first substantial release of information since the day of the shootings, which occurred at a rented house in the first block of Picton Road.
Police gave the name of the man killed as James Elm of Maywood, though DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen previously identified him as 29-year-old Jamez Elem.
Police said the first shots came around 1:30 a.m. when someone opened fire with a handgun inside the house.
“It further appears that several other people at the incident also began firing handguns within the home. In total, over 60 gunshots were fired leaving one dead and four injured. No guns were fired by Roselle police officers,” the statement said.
The statement said many at the party left after the initial gunshots. “Few, if any, of the partygoers or victims are cooperating with the police or investigators in this case,” the statement said.
The statement did not indicate whether anyone is in custody. Roselle detectives, investigators from the MERIT major crimes task force, forensic unit investigators and the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office are working on the case.
Anyone with information was asked to contact police.
“In the days of social media, we see many rumors being passed along about this case. The Roselle Police Department needs to assemble as much valid information on this case as possible, we need to protect those victims in this case and bring those responsible to justice,” the statement said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. Robert Gates at (630) 671-4027 or email him at rgates@roselle.il.us.
ORIGINAL POST——Chicago residents from Chicago Police District 11 rented a party house in Roselle . The news media is missing the growing problem in the Chicago suburbs. Everyone is distracted by the horrific numbers in the City and missing this migration of the problems to the suburbs where police are not experienced with Chicago style street gangs.
Multiple people were shot and one was killed in a shooting in west suburban Roselle early Saturday morning, police said.
Roselle police responded about 1:30 a.m. June 27th to a report of multiple shots fired in the area of Picton and Roselle roads.
When officers arrived, they found multiple people had been shot and one was killed. Police did not immediately provide an exact number of shooting victims.
This has only been covered by a few small news outlets in the suburbs.
One dead and six wounded it turns out. Kind of an odd occurrence for suburban Roselle (87% white, median income $82,000). But then an e-mailer told us that it is home to a couple of those AirBnb’s and this shooting happened at one that rents for a few thousand dollars per weekend. It’s seems 200 guests showed up for a birthday party, all from the 011 District, and the usual 011 mayhem followed them to the leafy streets of Roselle.
Until the morning of the 27th of June, 2020:
Roselle is a suburb of Chicago and is a village located in both DuPage County and Cook in Illinois, United States. Located in the northeastern part of the state, Roselle was first incorporated in 1922 and is a bedroom community, with residents generally commuting to Chicago or nearby suburbs for their jobs. As of the 2010 census, the village’s population was 22,763.[3] Roselle is a western suburb of Chicago and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
According to the data crunched by Movoto, Roselle is home to the 13th lowest violent crime in the places they reviewed. Low total crime scores make Roselle a secure place for Residents, who have only a 1 in 72 chance of being the victim of a crime.
We guess that’s one way to keep the shootings down in the city – rent suburban party houses.
Maybe Groot can start a GoFundMe page?
Investigators and forensic examiners from the DuPage Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigations Team are assisting Roselle detectives in the case.
Remember yesterday when I posted that a source said downtown had been destroyed? At the time I didn’t know what that person meant as it was sent in an early morning text. Now we do. Read what one woman says about this weekend in Chicago in an open letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot. She is disgusted and after reading this, you may be as well.
(copied and pasted since the settings on the post did did not have a share button.)
July 5, 2020
Mayor Lightfoot,
Regarding last night’s attacks on Michigan Ave., the Loop and the Chicago Police Department. I feel the need to speak out about the following events. The Red Line was used to facilitate mass crowds of people heading into the shopping districts and their surrounding areas. Stores and businesses, who have had to replace the glass on their store fronts due to your allowing protesters and terrorists destroy Chicago just a month ago, have had the newly replaced glass smashed again! Also, Chicago Police Officers had numerous things thrown at them, not to mention firecrackers. People out in our city trying to enjoy the 4th of July evening were terrorized. Last, but not least cars, windows, pretty much anything that could be broken or harmed was last night.
Not to mention, last weekend, I believe, there were hordes of people in Boystown without masks roaming the streets and causing chaos. They jumped on a squad with officers in the vehicle. They pounced up and down on the hood and roof of the car, threw stuff at the officers in the car all the while taunting and jeering at them. The officers were the picture of professionalism. They then moved onto a CTA bus, jumped on the from bumper, climbed on the bus and appeared to try and rock the bus back and forth.
Somehow, yet again, you fail to see in our Chicago Police Officers, Fire Fighters, CTA Personnel, Streets & San along with CDOT, all the departments in Chicago, the hardship they endure because you have failed to protect the City of Chicago. You have let it be known that it is okay to come into Chicago and cause chaos, have a melee, do anything you damn well please. It’s known the Mayor and the media don’t care, unless it is a city professional that is trying to do their job, whether protecting lives and property, saving people, making sure people get to where they need be, keep the city clean and repair our roads, and unless that person is offended or injured, by a city employee, you don’t care.
You and the media only care when a city employee can be disparaged. You will notify the media when you feel a city employee has stepped out of line. You will let the media know the most minor infraction and how you are going to handle this and this behavior won’t be tolerated. How about your behavior, Mayor Lightfoot. Explain to me why you let our city burn and harmed so many businesses. Many of which won’t be able to come back. Explain to me why our city is still under attack by these mobs. Explain to me why you hired 50 armed and unarmed security guards to roam the west and south sides that literally participated in foot chases all night. Please explain to me, another child’s death in the city.
Another child killed on the street, another family crushed. Not to mention the other men, women and children killed under your tenure. Families ruined by losses so big they’ll never be the same.
So, when you start work next week, tell the media that officer’s were lined up to keep the compression’s going while administering CPR to the latest victims of gunfire. Tell them that the paramedics and the fire department raced to save the lives of these people. Tell them how seasoned personnel wept at the sight of that poor child and the horror of innocent lives taken to soon. In closing, the City of Chicago and it’s residents are under great strain and peril. Your lack of leadership and direction is becoming dangerous for all of us. I sincerely hope that you have thought of a strategy to keep us safe. Hopefully it will be much better than what you have done to all of us so far.
UPDATE: After the posting of the information below, Leyden High School District 212 has revised their information and posted the following:
UPDATE ON SCHOOL REOPENING PLANS
July 2, 2020
Dear Leyden Families,
In an effort to engage in effective and ongoing communication during this critical time, we are writing to provide you with an update on our plans to reopen our school district for the upcoming school year.
Our Fall 2020-21 reopening working groups have been hard at work preparing for several scenarios when it comes to what teaching and learning will look like in the 2020-21 school year based on the latest guidelines provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The following scenarios prioritize the health and safety of our students, staff, and community while maintaining a dynamic learning environment.
The current guidelines present many challenges for large comprehensive high schools. For example, we cannot allow more than 50 students in a given space. That includes cafeterias, gyms, fieldhouses, etc. We need to maintain 6 feet of social distancing as much as possible and all students and staff will need to wear masks while at school. We will be providing every student with two 3-ply cotton masks so that they can wear one to school and wash the other one nightly. Temperature checks will be conducted daily both at our entrances and before students board our school buses. Any student with a temperature above 100.4 degrees will not be allowed to enter the building or board a school bus.
We want to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of the entire Leyden community while also maximizing the academic experience. With that in mind, we are currently planning for a hybrid learning experience when we start in the Fall.
Hybrid Learning: Teaching and learning with students experiencing both at-home and on-campus learning.
Students will be split in half alphabetically and will attend school for half days (alternating between morning and afternoon sessions) every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) We will disinfect common touch points in the building daily between the morning and afternoon sessions.
The schools will be closed on Wednesdays for deep cleaning and disinfection. This will also happen every weekend.
Students will receive three virtual lessons per week on Schoology and will have two in-person lessons per course per week.
If necessary, we will adjust our approach to a 25% model where only one-fourth of our students are in the building at a time.
Remote Learning 2.0: In the event that our region of Illinois regresses to Phase 3 or due to public health concerns, students and staff will engage in all-remote E-learning, similar to the final few months of the previous school year.
*For details on our reopening plan, see a video message from Superintendent Nick Polyak here.
As part of our work in developing a reopening plan, we will be sending a survey to parents in the next few weeks to learn about your views regarding reopening. Feedback is an important part of our process as it helps us ensure that we meet the needs of our school community.
We have established a web page where you can find updates related to the reopening of our schools. This includes communications, messages from the superintendent, potential school schedule changes, and meal service procedures.
Please note that our plan is flexible and that we will need to adapt as the situation surrounding COVID-19 evolves and we receive further guidance from the ISBE and IDPH.
To that end, we will regularly update you as our plans continue to take shape. Thank you for your continuous support.
With #leydenpride,
Dr. Nick Polyak
Superintendent
ORIGINAL POSTING BELOW
Sources at Leyden High School are circulating that it has been decided that for the Fall, 2020 opening of East and West Leyden High Schools the district will be using a “Hybrid Learning Model”.
Which means that the teaching and learning for students will both at-home and on-campus learning.
Credible sources are telling parents and students it has been decided that Leyden students will be split in half alphabetically and will attend school for half days (alternating between morning and afternoon sessions) every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday).
SD 212 building staff will disinfect common touch points in the buildings daily between the morning and afternoon sessions.
The schools will be closed on Wednesdays for deep cleaning and disinfection. This will also happen every weekend.
Students will receive three virtual lessons per week on Schoology and will have two in-person lessons per course per week.
If necessary, SD 212 will adjust their approach to a 25% model where only one-fourth of our students are in the building at a time.
Remote Learning 2.0:
In the event that our region of Illinois regresses to Phase 3 or due to public health concerns, students and staff will engage in all-remote E-learning, similar to the final few months of the previous school year.
Clearly the SD 212 administration has decided on a plan but have failed to clearly convey it to the students and families. Instead this information is being “leaked” out to the community increasing concerns and anxiety among all. The You Tube release by Dr Polyak in June 30, 2020 indicated that they were still deciding. See my previous Blog Post : https://royfmc.com/2020/07/01/fall-2020-planning-for-reopening-of-leyden-high-schools-as-of-june-30-2020/
So who is telling the truth ?
Dr Polyak, or numerous staff and faculty members indicating the decisions and the plans already have been reached.
Honesty by the administration is needed at this time to allay the concerns of the students and parents! This mixed message only increases distrust of the system and heightens frustration. Let’s get it right.
