RYH Newsletter 3.17.21
Join us on Twitter Wed, March 17, and Th, March 18, at 5PM for a #TrustLearningCare Makes Sense Twitter Power Hour!
Please tweet: “#TLCMakesSense to me because...” sharing why TLC makes sense for your family. Tag us: @ILRaiseYourHand.
Consider creating a short video and posting it with your tweet and/or share the video with us & we will tweet it for you: info@ilraiseyourhand.org.
Thank you! During February, parents and youth gathered to craft the TLC demands. Please consider looking at these before you attend CPS Quarter 4 or LSC meetings.
Local School Councils (LSC): A Resource + An Event
If you are a LSC member and would like to connect to a larger group of LSC members from across the city, please email us: info@ilraiseyourhand.org.
The Gathering: Core Competencies | Hosted by LSCs.4.All Coalition
Tues, March 23 | 4:30-6PM | Register
Special Education Resources
We want to hear from parents who have children with IEPs who were denied CTE, Arts and other high school programs due to NWEA and Grade cut scores. If this is you, please fill out this form.
Equip for Equality has a webpage here with all the below resources linked (English and Spanish available.)
¿Asistió su hijo a CPS y tuvo un IEP durante los años escolares 2016/2017 y / o 2017/2018?
Hemos explicado el proceso en este video de la Presentación del 3.8.2021 en español de Equip for Equality sobre CPS y SSCA / UER.
Hoja informativa de la UER en español/UER Fact Sheet in Spanish.docx
Lista de verificación UER en español/UER Checklist in Spanish.docx
¡Estamos aquí para ayudarte! Equip For Equality Clínica de educación especial Llame para obtener información GRATUITA y ayuda sobre CPS y la investigación pública1-312-895-7231 contactus@equipforequality.org www.equipforequality.org.
Equip for Equality held a webinar on the long-awaited rollout of CPS’ SSCA (Student Specific Corrective Action) and UER (Universal Enrichment Remedy). Here is a UER Fact Sheet and a UER Checklist with calculator, which should help you with any UER calls.
If you or anyone you know has an adult child who has aged out of (or will soon age out of) CPS Transition Programs (or any IL school district transition program) at age 22 -- especially those who missed out on vital vocational training out in the Community due to Covid -- please give us your contact information via this form and we'll be in touch.
Family Resource Center on Disabilities is the free Chicago Area Parent Training and Information Center. They are a federally-funded not-for-profit whose purpose is to support families and people with disabilities. They will answer questions about the IEP process, specific concerns about your child’s special education, and even send an advocate to your child’s IEP meeting. To access all this valuable support, attend a know-your-rights training on Navigating the IEP Process: Special Education Rights Seminar.
CPS & Quarter 4: High School and Elementary School Updates
In an email to parents last night, CPS says they are targeting Mon, April 19 (the first day of Q4), as a return to school building date for HS students who opt for in person learning.
Chalkbeat Chicago: Chicago sets April 19 ‘target’ return date for high school students
WTTW: CPS Targeting April 19 as High School Reopening Date
Not much new information was given at the CPS HS Town Hall last Wednesday. Our live tweets are here. Here’s some press coverage:
Chicago Tribune: What parents want to know about CPS high schools reopening
Sun-Times: CPS, CTU talks on reopening high schools ‘very productive,’ but parents get few answers at town hall
AND many folks had bad links so CPS is hosting a second HS town hall TONIGHT, Wed, March 17, at 5PM. Registration was due yesterday by the end of day. This meeting will be live streamed on the CPS YouTube channel.
CPS hosted an Elementary School Town Hall last night. Not much new info was revealed. We have a live tweet thread here and you can watch the whole meeting here.
Intent Forms are due Fri, March 19. Parents should have received an email with an individualized form for each child currently in remote learning. This was sent on Mon, March 8. Families who are already in person do not need to fill out an intent form to remain in-person.
CPS Academic Calendar for 2021-22
The CPS Board of Ed will vote on the calendar at their March 24th meeting. CPS is proposing starting school on Mon, Aug 30, instead of starting on Tues, Sept 7, which would have been the traditional CPS start of the Tuesday after Labor Day. Here’s what you need to know:
If you have a comment, use this Google form to submit your comment.
Comments are open until TODAY, Wed, March 17.
See the comments submitted already (over 100 pages!) here.
Note: The CPS Board of Ed has this webpage, Proposed Policies or Rule Changes Open for Public Comment, and there are several proposed policies that you can comment on.
Elected Representative School Board!
We have until the end of May to win an elected representative school board. We have upcoming actions and meetings ahead - please sign up here to take action! Questions? Email Jianan at jianan@ilraiseyourhand.org.
Food Benefits For Families With School Aged Children
P-EBT is back. We recommend the following resources to learn more:
Chicago Defender: CPS Students Receive $450 Under New Pandemic EBT Program.
The Southwest Collective has this FB post which summarizes the program and this new post with FAQs on P-EBT.
Greater Chicago Food Depository has a helpful FAQ webpage here. Leer en español.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless hosted a webinar on P-EBT.
We have a webpage here about CPS Meal Sites.
In Other News
Chalkbeat Chicago: Five Illinois educators on a year of disrupted learning — and what students need now
Chalkbeat Chicago: Las escuelas de Chicago comienzan a realizar pruebas COVID-19 a los estudiantes
Chalkbeat Chicago: Rutinas interrumpidas y nuevas reglas: Cuatro estudiantes de cuarto grado comparten sus experiencias del regreso a las escuelas
WBEZ: Top Chicago Charter School Network Admits A Racist Past
Sun-Times: Sun-Times snowman student art contest’s middle school, high school winners
Chalkbeat: How the stimulus will affect schools, explained
Chalkbeat Chicago: Illinois schools could receive $5.2 billion — with $1.8 billion for CPS — from third stimulus bill
Upcoming Events
➡️ Monthly CPS Board of Education Meeting
Wed, March 24 | 10:30AM | Online registration to speak
Online sign up to speak starts Mon, March 22, 10:30AM. The agenda will post at 10am. You can try to register via the phone (773) 989 - 7313- check the links above to make sure this is the correct number on registration day.
You can submit comments to the BOE via a Google form which will be linked toward the top of the homepage of the CPS BOE webpage (this link to the form will probably go live on Mon, March 22, and you have until the day after the board meeting, 5PM, to submit comments) OR send them via US Mail at 1 N. Dearborn, Suite 950, Chicago IL 60602.
The meeting will be live streamed on the CPS YouTube channel.
Proposed board policies and/or rule changes that are and were open to public comment here. (SY2021-22 calendar - you can comment through TODAY, March 17.)
Please contact Jennie if you have any questions about the BOE meetings: jennie@ilraiseyourhand.org.
Chicago Public Schools: Resources; Upcoming Meetings
Facilities Reopening Resources & News
As CPS facilities begin to reopen to educators and students, here are a few CPS resources:
Watch out for emails from your school(s) and following your school social media accounts.
“Ask The Expert” Sessions Continue
CPS FACE YouTube Channel- Ask The Expert session videos are here.
From CPS’ Family & Community Engagement (FACE):
Th, March 19 | 4-5PM
The Expert:
Topic:
RSVP Here (required in order to receive the invitation)
RESOURCES
SUFEO
Spread the word! Our free legal hotline has reopened for the rest of the 2020-2021 school year. Stand Up For Each Other (SUFEO) Chicago is a group of law students that provides free information and services, under attorney supervision, to K-12 students in a variety of areas. We offer support and representation to students experiencing:
Inadequate special education services
Bullying or harassment
Suspension, expulsion, or other discipline
Barriers related to COVID-19 and remote learning
Email: sufeochicago@gmail.com
Hotline: 773-800-0338
Follow SUFEO! Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Legal Aid Chicago’s New Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline Project
This project is aimed at addressing the institutional racism that obstructs pathways to success for youth. To accomplish this goal, Legal Aid Chicago is providing legal representation to prevent school push-out and expunge juvenile records.
Legal Aid Chicago is currently accepting school discipline and juvenile records expungement cases. School discipline cases are not limited to expulsions; they also include informal school push-out, suspensions, alternative school transfers, and discipline during remote learning. It is important to note that students still have discipline rights during remote learning, and exclusions from the virtual classroom are still discipline.
In addition to representing youth in these cases, they are available to do trainings and know-your-rights presentations to community members or service providers on school discipline rights, remote learning, juvenile records expungement, or other areas of law. They hope to ensure that parents and students understand their legal rights and are encouraged to seek legal representation.
Below is their new flyer announcing the project. Please share the information with anyone who may need legal assistance. Sharing the flyer on your social media is encouraged. If you have any questions, would like additional materials, or are interested in scheduling a training or know-your-rights presentation, please do not hesitate to contact Legal Aid Chicago.
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Thanks for reading! We hope you are all well!