CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Mayor Lori Lightfoot visited a few schools within the Chicago Public Schools system Monday, this first day of school, and declared schools a safe place to be from COVID-19.
“What my experience of this day has truly been is pure joy,” the mayor said at a news conference Monday morning at Ombudsman South Alternative School at 60th Street and Western Avenue on the Southwest Side.
Many parents told WBBM Newsradio they are “scared” there may not be enough COVID-19 safeguards in the city’s schools and that their children may bring COVID-19 home with them.
But Lightfoot said the school system has spent $100 million to make schools safe and that all employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15.
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“The proof has got to be in the pudding and so, every single day, we’ve got to demonstrate to parents and students that schools are safe by the protocols that are in place,” Lightfoot said.
The mayor also has a recommendation for parents — in addition to getting vaccinated, if they’re not: “Go into the schools. See what happens when you’re at the front door, what the protocols are and the screening to be able to get into the schools and then, visit your child’s classroom.”
Meanwhile, CPS said it has been scrambling since more than 70 school bus drivers from private companies quit on Friday because of the CPS vaccine requirement. According to interim Schools CEO Jose Torres, that left CPS transportation staff trying to find rides for 2,100 students.
Lightfoot said that, in some cases, CPS offered money to parents to pay for rides to and from school. The mayor said the search is also on for more bus drivers but she pointed out there is a huge shortage nationwide of enough people with commercial driver’s licenses.
“We’re going to work through these kinks. I’m sure you’re going to find individuals for whom this wasn’t a great start, but we’re going to work hard to make sure that we solve those and address those problems,” she said.
Lightfoot said CPS is working with Uber and Lyft to possibly come up with an alternative that involves students being transported by ride-share.
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