>> 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.