>> WE'RE BACK WITH MORE OF OUR
CONVERSATION WITH ALDERMAN JASON
ERVIN AND ALDERMAN ANDRE
VASQUEZ.
THE TEACHER UNION HELD RALLIES
THAT WARNS THAT C.P.S. PLANS
WITH HYBRID LEARNING WOULD NOT
BE SAFE.
HERE IS WHAT THE UNION'S
PRESIDENT HAD TO SAY.
>> YOU CANNOT GO TO THE BEACH IN
THE CITY OF CHICAGO.
YOU CANNOT DRINK INDOORS IN THE
CITY OF CHICAGO BUT THEY ARE
GOING TO SEND HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS INTO
SCHOOL BUILDINGS HUNDREDS TO A
BUILDING?
>> SOURCES ARE TELLING WTTW NEWS
THAT THE DISTRICT DOES PLAN TO
ANNOUNCE IT WILL GO TO ALL
REMOTE LEARNING FOR THE FALL.
ALDERMAN VAZQUEZ DO YOU AGREE
WITH THE DECISION?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY I'M GRATEFUL
THAT THEY CAME TO SEE THE LIGHT.
BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED THAT
THAT WAS NOT THE DIRECTION TO GO
IN.
>> ALDERMAN ERVIN IS THIS THE
RIGHT DECISION TO HAVE ALL
REMOTE LEARNING RATHER THAN A
HYBRID WITH IN-PERSON AND
REMOTE?
>> LET ME SAY THIS.
I'M SOMEWHAT CHALLENGED ON BOTH
ENDS.
I BELIEVE THAT IN SOME
COMMUNITIES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
REMOTE LEARNING, WE NEED DEVICE,
WE NEED INTERNET CONNECTIVITY.
SO HAVING REMOTE LEARNING
WITHOUT THOSE THINGS ARE NOT
GOING TO PRODUCE THE TYPE OF
SUCCESS THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES
HAVE.
SO IF WE ARE GOING TO GO TO
REMOTE LEARNING WE NEED TO
INSURE THAT EVERY CHILD ON THE
SOUTH AND WEST SIDE HAS A DEVICE
TO ACCESS THE NECESSARY WORK AND
THE GOOGLE CLASSROOMS AND BE
ABLE TO COMMUNICATE JUST AS
COUNTERPARTS ON THE NORTH SIDE
ARE DOING.
AS LONG AS OUR CHILDREN HAVE THE
DEVICES AND ALSO WE HAVE TO
THINK ABOUT THE EXPANSION OF
SOME OF OUR PROGRAMMING LIKE OUR
SAFE HAVEN PROGRAMS.
SOME OF OUR CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE
A SAFE SPACE TO LEARN AT HOME.
SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW
ARE WE GOING TO GET CHILDREN TO
ADEQUATELY LEARN IN AN
ENVIRONMENT THAT IS GOING TO
PRODUCE THE TYPE OF SUCCESS THAT
WE WANT TO SEE UNDER REMOTE
LEARNING PLATFORM.
>> WHAT ABOUT THOSE CONCERNS?
HOW DOES C.P.S. BRIDGE THE GAP
ON TECHNOLOGY WITH INTERNET
ACCESS AND PERSONAL COMPUTING
DEVICES AND HAVING A SAFE PLACE
FOR STUDENTS TO GO IF THEIR HOME
IS NOT SAFE?
>> I MEAN, I ABSOLUTELY AGREE
THAT IS A CHALLENGE.
THAT IS WHY LOOKING AT THE
PROBLEM THE WAY I WAS VIEWING IT
WE SHOULD HAVE MADE THAT
DECISION A WHILE AGO TO HAVE THE
TIME TO HAVE THE TIME TO FIND
THE FUNDING AND RESOURCES AND
MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT BECAUSE NONE
OF THIS IS EASY AT ALL.
EVEN WITH SCHOOL GOING REMOTE WE
ARE GOING TO SEE THE PROBLEM OF
PARENTS THAT HAVE TO WORK AND
THEN TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW ARE
THE KIDS SOMEBODY HAS TO STAY
HOME DEPENDING ON THE AGE OF THE
CHILDREN THERE ARE A LOT OF
VARIABLES.
THE WAY WE HAVE TO SOLVE IT AS
GOVERNMENT IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW
MUCH FUNDING WE ARE GOING TO PUT
TOWARDS IT SO THE PEOPLE THAT
DON'T HAVE THE INTERNET ACCESS
AND THE DEVICES AND SAFE SPACES
TO LEARN ARE PROVIDED THAT AND
THAT IS WHY IN MY ESTIMATION WE
SHOULD HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
THIS PRIOR RATHER THAN HAVING
THE SHORT WINDOW TRYING TO
FIGURE IT OUT NOW.
>> ARE THERE PARENTS THAT ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING TO GO TO
WORK AND HAVING TO HAVE SOMEONE
AT HOME WITH THEIR KIDS?
>> NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
I MET WITH A GROUP OF MINISTERS
LAST WEEK THAT WERE CONCERNED
ABOUT THAT POINT AND SAID WE MAY
NEED TO OPEN UP OUR CHURCHES FOR
CHILDREN TO GIVE THEM A SAFE
ENVIRONMENT TO LEARN IN.
AND AGAIN, WE HAVE PARENTS THESE
PARENTS HAVE TO WORK RENT HAS TO
BE PAID LIGHTS BILL HAS TO BE
PAID AND FOOD HAS TO BE
PURCHASED WE CANNOT HAVE PARENTS
SITTING AT HOME WITH THE
CHILDREN.
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE
SOCIAL SERVICE SAFETY NET MORE
TO SURROUND THIS MOVE TO REMOTE
LEARNING.
SO, AGAIN, I'M OPEN FOR
DISCUSSION BUT I THINK THAT IF
WE EXPAND OUR SAFE HAVEN
PROGRAM, PROGRAMMING THAT WE
HAVE BEEN DOING WITH OUR
FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AFTER
SCHOOL TO DURING SCHOOL TIME TO
GIVE CHILDREN A SAFE SPACE TO
OPERATE AND LEARN IN I THINK
THERE'S SOMETHING WE WILL HAVE
TO EXPLORE.
ESPECIALLY IN HOUSEHOLDS WHERE
PEOPLE HAVE TO WORK.
WE CANNOT LEAVE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD
KIDS AT HOME BY THEMSELVES ALL
DAY.
>> CERTAINLY SO MANY DIFFICULT
DECISIONS PARENTS HAVE TO MAKE.
ANDRE VASQUEZ YOU SEE THE
NUMBERS FOR COVID POSITIVE
ACTIVE INCHING UP IN CHICAGO ARE
YOU HEARING FROM BUSINESS OWNERS
THAT ARE CONCERNED ESPECIALLY
BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN YOUR
WARD THAT MIGHT HAVE TO SHUTDOWN
AND WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FOR
THEM?
>> I THINK EVERYONE IS FEARFUL.
THAT'S PART OF THE REASON A
LITTLE BIT WHAT YOU ARE TALKING
BEFORE HAD THE SCHOOLS OPEN AND
THERE WAS MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR
CONGREGATION WE COULD HAVE SEEN
A FASTER CLIMB.
EVERYONE IS CONCERNED THE
BUSINESSES ARE CONCERNED.
I THINK WE ALL HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT WHAT OUR SOCIETY IS GOING
TO LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD.
AND WHAT I TRY TO GET ACROSS TO
PEOPLE WHETHER IT'S BUSINESS
OWNERS OR NEIGHBORS THERE IS NOT
A BACK TO NORMAL.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT ADJUSTMENTS NEED
TO BE MADE GOING FORWARD TO
FIGURE OUT A WAY TO RESPONSIBLY
MOVE FORWARD AND IT'S GOING TO
HAVE LARGE EFFECT ON COMMUNITIES
AND BUSINESS COMMUNITIES
EVERYONE.
AND IT IS OUR JOB TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO MAKE IT AS STABLE AS
POSSIBLE AND ADJUSTMENTS SO
PEOPLE ARE NOT ABANDONED.