*** This article was written 8/2018 ***
It's the third week of school for Chicago Public School students. I've seen a lot of dads walking their kids to and from school which is a beautiful sight. However, it's still disheartening to think about the massive school closures that took place this summer, coupled with all the violence that is going on in the Chicago area.
Going back to school should've been an exciting time for both parents and students but with fewer schools open in the city this school year, there was more of a concern than a relief. I can't help but wonder why millions of dollars is going towards the re-beautification of Navy Pier, one of the city's main tourist attractions, but no money has gone towards the beautification of Chicago Public Schools or keeping them open. No money has gone towards making Chicago a safer place to live. If you ask me, Navy Pier looks fine just the way it is.
Over the summer, forty-nine Chicago schools were closed down, making it the largest single school closure in U.S. history! More closures are expected in the near future. Those schools that remain open are more crowded now due to student migration. In addition to schools being overcrowded, some students now have to travel a farther distance to get to their new schools. In some cases, a farther distance means kids must walk through unfamiliar neighborhoods and possibly cross gang lines on their way.
Adding insult to injury several shootings have taken place, since school started, on blocks Chicago Public Schools designated as part of the “Safe Passage” route for school children. Safe Passage is a program designed to increase children’s safety as they come and go. While none of these shootings have been school related, it's still very dangerous for students. And if that isn't enough, several Safe Passage workers who stand at corners monitoring students as they pass through neighborhoods have quit. Perhaps because they are concerned about their own safety.
So I have to ask, what about the kids? Does anyone in this city care about the kids? Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel, seems to be so concerned with the city's appearance that he can’t focus on the people who live within the communities, namely African-American and Latino communities.
How can he allow forty-nine schools to close at once when education is the key to a child’s future? In my opinion, this is putting a lot of kids at risk of possibly failing in school, dropping out or endangering themselves. Yet Rahm is always quick to say the kids come first.
Uh, newsflash Mr. Mayor.. Taking away an opportunity for kids to receive a better education is not exactly putting them first. When we take away positive options that encourage the youth to excel, we open the door for them to self-destruct. An idol mind is the devil’s playground. Why did he close our schools?
Think about it, if each classroom is overcrowded with approximately thirty students, how will the teachers manage? Are they going to provide adequate attention to each and every student in the classroom or will some students suffer? Can you imagine being a teacher in a crowded classroom full of students- some who want to learn, some who don’t and some from opposing gangs ready to fight everyday?
It is not fair to take away a child’s education. There could be major consequences and repercussions to these school closures with students and teachers deeply effected while the mayor does nothing to help.
Like Whitney Houston sang, “I believe the children are our future, teach them right and let them lead the way.“ Children are the future and they should never be denied a proper education. Teachers should not have to lose their jobs because of school closures. It’s a lose, lose situation that should have never happened, especially now, with all of the crime and violence in the city.
A massive school closing should never happen in any city, schools should not shut down just because. Wake up people. It is my strong belief that someone is trying to remove education for the wrong reasons, they do not want our children to learn because they know knowledge is power. There is something very wrong in the world when a school system has been forced to shut down.
I am praying for our children and our communities. Parents please protect your kids by teaching them core values, morals and respect. They must have a foundation to grow from, please educate their minds and prepare them for what's to come because the government as a whole has more in store.... Once you have the knowledge no one can take it away. Each one, teach one.
SLM
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