RYH Newsletter 4.7.21

Apr 7

TLC Forum: New Date & Time!

Come learn about the Trust Learning Care platform! We’ll also discuss why and how parents should have a say in both pandemic school planning AND how the$2B in additional federal funds should be spent. Join us!

Fri, April 16 | 10:30AM | Register

#TLCMakesSense gets a shout out in Medill News Chicago: As some Chicago Public Schools students return to the classroom for in-person learning, many families continue remote learning - Medill Reports Chicago

Grow With Us Fundraiser!

Our online fundraiser, Grow With Us, starts in 2 weeks! If you support our work and want to be a fundraiser with us, please reach out to jianan@ilraiseyourhand.org. You can find more about the program here.

RYH News: Three BIG things!

We have a new logo! If you missed it, scroll back up or check it out on Instagram here.
We have a new website! Please be patient with us as we build it. Feel free to reach out if you are looking for something.
We are super excited to share that Raise Your Hand has grown! Thanks to supporters like yourself, we have been able to add two new full time positions to our team: Rousemary Vega as our parent organizer and Naoma Nagahawatte as our advocacy director. Read their bios here. Welcome, Rousemary & Naoma!

Refuse The Tests: Resources | Event | OpEd

Any IL public school student can refuse state testing this year.Our friends at Illinois Families for Public Schools have some resources for you!
- Refuse the Tests: How to Opt Out of 2021 State Testing Toolkit
- Opt out: Refusing state tests This explains WHY to consider refusal & more background.
- Opting out of the SAT this spring For current juniors in HS.
Refuse the Tests 2021: Info Session | Mon, April 12 | 6:30 PM | More details & registration here
Chicago Tribune: Letters: The U.S. should waive spring assessments for students

Springfield Updates

THANK YOU to all who have filed witness slips! There will be more soon. Meanwhile...

HB 2425: ISBE SpEd Complaint Extension- passed out of committee, 23-0.
- Our live tweets of the hearing
- Thank you Legal Council for Health Justice and Access Living for testifying!
- Chalkbeat Chicago: Chicago parents could have more time to file special education complaints
HB 3223: Ensuring Success in School- passed out of committee
On the importance of the #TEAACHAct (Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act | Send an email of support here); a first person perspective in Chalkbeat Chicago: I didn’t learn about Asian American history in high school. We can’t fail another generation of students.

Food Benefits For Families With School Aged Children (P-EBT)

Don't throw away the plain white envelope addressed to your child with a return address of TX! Parents are starting to receive their P-EBT card(s) via USPS. If you are a CPS parent, you will be receiving a card for each of your children. If you are not in CPS but in IL please see the resources listed below; if your child qualifies for free or reduced price lunch you should be receiving a card as well.

Please use this benefit if your family needs this assistance.

Please use this benefit if your family does not need this assistance then redistribute the money by paying it forward - donate the equivalent amount to local mutual aid orgs. CPS parent & RYH board member, Cassandra Kaczocha, explains why & how to do this in the Chicago Tribune: As CPS families get $450 food cards, some paying it forward.

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO- not many people know about this yet and it will be hugely beneficial to many families and communities:

RYH Twitter thread with the below resources here.
RYH FB post with the below resources here.

We recommend the following resources to learn more:

The Southwest Collective has this FB post which summarizes the program and this 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.

CPS Board of Ed Meeting Recap - Wed, March 24

You can read our statements here where we also include all the meeting’s press coverage (many, many topics were covered.) Here are a few highlights:

Local School Council (LSC) Resource + Upcoming Events

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.
CIWP Training | Hosted by Lugenia Burns Hope Center
- Th, April 8 | 6-7:30PM | Register
LSCs Working Together: Monthly Q & A | Hosted by Lugenia Burns Hope Center
- Wed, April 14 | 6PM | Register

#PoliceFreeSchools Youth Meetings

This is a CPS student ONLY space led by CPS students with the goals of connecting youth to other school communities, build their base, provide resources, listen to students and plan together to win Cops Out CPS. Fridays | Youth-led calls | 5PM | Register

Special Education News

Stay tuned! Chalkbeat Chicago: Chicago parents could have more time to file special education complaints

#NoGoCPS Discrimination in the HS Application Process: 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 resources linked (English and Spanish available) from our information sessions on the CPS SSCA (Student Specific Corrective Action) and UER (Universal Enrichment Remedy).
Student with IEP aging out of Transition Program at 22? If you or anyone you know has an adult child who has aged out of (or will soon age out of) Transition Programs in CPS or other school districts in IL during remote learning -- 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.

Pandemic Schooling & CPS Quarter 4 News

CTU and CPS are still negotiating the high school reopening plan. CTU hosted a press conference today. Quarter 4 starts Mon, April 19.

WBEZ: Chicago Teachers Union Calls On CPS To Delay Reopening Of High Schools

Chicago Tribune: Teachers union wants a delay in further CPS reopening, and vaccines for high school students, as Chicago sees rise in COVID-19 cases and variants

Chalkbeat Chicago: Teachers union calls on Chicago to delay high school reopening by a week

There are still Q4 staffing questions... WBEZ: In-Person Students And Remote Staff: Can CPS Make It Work?

We encourage you to look out for news from your individual school(s) via email and their individual social media accounts.

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. Recent ERSB news...

Sun-Times: Democratic ward bosses to be asked to endorse elected school board bills Lightfoot opposes

Chicago Tribune: 2 years after her election, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot hasn’t yet fulfilled key campaign promises

Chalkbeat Chicago: Will Chicago propose an alternative to 21-person elected school board?

CPSuccess!

ICYMI… We have a Twitter account, @CPSuccessCHI, where we elevate CPS success stories or what we like to call #cpsuccess! We try to share some stories in these emails too!

Chalkbeat Chicago: Music instruction means teaching literacy, math, science, and history, this Chicago educator says