CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- At Wednesday’s CPS board meeting, parents asked for more help as the district grapples with declining enrollment as it attempts to return to in-person learning.
CPS said attendance is down about two percent this year, with the biggest declines among charter, homeless, black, and special education students. While another 7,000 students have opted out of in person learning.
Parent Kristen Brody told board members she and others feel like they’re not being heard.
"CPS parents are continually told that our families' needs are being centered and our voices are the most important part of the conversation, but the feedback we give is systematically ignored by both CPS and Mayor Lightfoot," Brody said.
Parent Joseph Williams asked the board to give financial help to those trying to balance work and students learning at home.
"Families shouldn't have to make the choice of 'do I stay home with my children and make sure they have a quality education?' or 'do I go to work to put food on my table?' So I recommend to CPS to please help support our families financially, create a microgrant," Williams said.
He and Brody are a members of the group Raise Your Hand, which gave a list of demands to the Mayor’s office, including having a parent be involved monitoring school reopening safety, hiring more staff - especially counselors, improving tech and mental health support, and giving schools more autonomy.
The district said it has seen a 4.3 percent drop in attendance at high schools and about one percent in elementary schools.
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