MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

TOGETHER , WE CAN DRIVE CHANGE.

>>> CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE SAVORING ONE FINAL WEEKEND OF SUMMER FREEDOM BEFORE SCHOOL ON MONDAY.

THE BLACK STUDENT ENROLLMENT HAS BEEN ON THE DECLINE SINCE THE 1990s IN PARALLEL WITH A DECLINE IN THE BLACK POPULATION OVERALL.

BLACK STUDENTS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINE OR UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE SCHOOLS AND HAVE TO TRAVEL THE FARTHEST OF ANY DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP TO GET TO SCHOOL.

HERE IS THE DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIP AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CRIME AND EDUCATION LAB.

AND A PARENT LEADER WITH FAMILY ISSUES , AND THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BLACK COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE, AND A REPORTER .

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

DESCRIBE SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR BLACK STUDENTS IN CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

>> WE EXPERIENCE , WITH THE BLACK CULTURE, HOW THERE IS NOTHING EQUATED TO SUPPORTING THE EXPERIENCE.

AND WHAT WE ARE NOT TACKLING TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A VALUABLE EDUCATION.

ON A HOLISTIC APPROACH.

>> WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS CONTRIBUTING TO THE GAPS ?

>> SAFETY.

LEAVING HOME , BUT ALSO IN THE BUILDING , WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?

EDUCATION, YOU SEE THAT THERE WERE TWO TO THREE YEARS BEHIND THE ACADEMICS , HOW DO WE CATER TO THAT POPULATION?

ALSO , MAKING SURE THEY FEEL SAFE INSIDE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM .

>> WE WILL COME BACK TO SAFETY.

NATOSHA , YOU ORGANIZATION MUST AGREE A BLACK STUDENT COMMITTEE.

>> THAT IS NECESSARY BECAUSE WE HAVE SERIOUS ISSUES THAT HAS BEEN EXACERBATED BY THE PANDEMIC .

WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO WERE DISENGAGED DURING THE PANDEMIC .

WE HAVE THE IDEA OF STUDENTS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED.

BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE IN THE ACADEMIC PANDEMIC .

WE WERE BEHIND IN READING AND MATH IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

LIKE STUDENTS WERE 10% IN READING PROFICIENCY .

THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

WE NEED AN EFFORT THAT WILL DRIVE HOME SOLUTIONS TO BRIDGE THE GAP.

>> YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER IN A PREDOMINANTLY LATINO SCHOOL, ARE HER NEEDS MET ?

>> I DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY ARE .

SHE HAS BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH BULLYING , ACADEMICALLY, HER READING LEVEL IS KIND OF LOW.

I AM TRYING TO SEE IF THEY CAN GET IT BACK TO THE TOP.

I FEEL THEY JUST CATER TO THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY.

>> THE TEACHERS ARE SPEAKING SPANISH , ARE THEY TEACHING IN SPANISH BACK >> THEY ARE DOING BOTH.

MY DAUGHTER IS LIKE , I DON'T UNDERSTAND , THE TEACHER SAYS THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO HELP HER ONE ON ONE.

SHE HAS BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM .

>> SAMANTHA , YOU HAVE THAT REPORTING ON STUDENT RESTRAINT POLICIES IN CPS.

OUTLINE THAT FOR US.

>> THIS MAY, I HAVE BEEN REPORTING ON HOW CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE NOT BEEN IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE LAW FROM 2021 WHERE , IT SAYS THAT, BASICALLY , IF STAFF ARE RESTRAINING STUDENTS OR PLACING THEM IN TIMEOUT , THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINED .

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE NOT ONLY ON TRAINED STAFF DOING THIS , THEY ARE ALSO NOT NOTIFYING PARENTS OF THIS 24 HOURS AFTER THE INCIDENT HAPPENS .

THEY ARE ALSO USING OUTLAW METHODS OF RESTRAINT .

RIGHT NOW, THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS PUT PRESSURE ON THE DISTRICT TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE.

>> THE DISTRICT HAS A DEADLINE?

TO TRAIN HUNDREDS OF STAFF BY A CERTAIN POINT , CORRECT ?

>> YES , THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

THEY HAVE TO TRAIN AT LEAST TWO STAFF MEMBERS PER BUILDING AND CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE OVER 600 STUDENTS .

>> WHERE CAN PARENTS GET RESOURCES ?

>> WE SHOULD START WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WHAT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ARE THERE?

YOU HAVE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE YAP, YOU CAN, THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, WE CANNOT JUST RELY ON THE SCHOOL, WE NEED TO STEP UP AND HAVE OUR COMMUNITY PEOPLE GET MORE INVOLVED.

PARENTS SHOULD REACH OUT TO LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HELP EQUATE WHAT IS TAKING PLACE .

ALSO, TO THE INSTRUCTORS.

>> YOU THINK CPS HAS ENROLLMENT NUMBERS WHICH ARE NOT TELLING THE WHOLE STORY.

>> YES, ONE OF THE THINGS WE FOUND , WE HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH ABOUT ENROLLMENT AND WE HAVE SEEN THERE ARE SCHOOLS THAT ARE IN LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES, SCHOOLS THAT ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY BLACK , THAT HAVE LOW ENROLLMENT, WE THINK OF LOW ENROLLMENT, BUT WE FOUND ON THE CPS WEBSITE, SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS WHO APPLIED BUT WERE NOT ACCEPTED TO THE SCHOOL.

THESE WERE STUDENTS WHO RIGHTFULLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BUT THEY WEREN'T.

MAKING SURE THERE IS THIS EFFORT TO BRING STUDENTS BACK.

CPS , ARE THEY DOING THAT?

>> ARE THEY FORCED TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY TO GO TO SCHOOL?

WE ALREADY KNOW , THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO STUDY, WE FOUND OUT THAT BLACK STUDENTS TRAVELED THE FURTHEST IN ANY RACIAL GROUP.

SOME OF THE ENROLLMENT ISSUES ARE PREDICATED ON THE FACT THAT CPS IS NOT FOLLOWING PROTOCOL IN TERMS OF MONITORING SCHOOLS UNDER ENROLLED OR UNDERUTILIZED .

>> YOU HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL AGED SON, HOW BIG OF A CONCERN IS SAFETY IN AND -- IN THE SCHOOL AND ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL ?

>> IT IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE.

THEY HAVE HAD FIGHTS, BOMB THREATS, MY SON JUST TRANSFERRED .

HE HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES.

HE SAYS, MOM , I AM NOT SAFE.

THE HISPANICS BOTHER HIM BECAUSE HE IS AFRICAN-AMERICAN.

>> HE IS TRANSFERRING SCHOOLS AS A RESULT ?

>> I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE BEST THING FOR HIM TO MAKE SURE HE IS SAFE AND LIVES TO BE 30, 40, 50, A LOT OF YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICANS DON'T LIVE THAT LONG BECAUSE OF FIGHTS .

I WANT MY SON TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A YOUNG MAN AND JUST BE SAFE AND GET AN EDUCATION.

>> YOU DID NOT TAKE THAT TRANSFER LIGHTLY BECAUSE IT TRANSFERRING IN HIGH SCHOOL IS A BIG DEAL.

LAST YEAR, CPS STRUGGLED TO PROVIDE BUS TRANSPORTATION TO STUDENTS, WHAT IS BEHIND THE BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE AND WHAT ABOUT THIS YEAR?

>> THERE HAS BEEN A NATIONWIDE BUS SHORTAGE.

THE PREVIOUS YEAR , SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE USED COVID RELIEF FUNDS , AS A BONUS SIGN-UP, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THE EFFORT THAT HAS BEEN DONE HAS BEEN WORKING TO GET MORE DRIVERS.

THIS SCHOOL YEAR , CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAY THEY WILL FOCUS ON MAKING SURE THAT TRANSPORTATION IS GIVING TO STUDENTS , THOSE WITH INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLANS, AND ALSO STUDENTS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

THAT TAKES AWAY TRANSPORTATION FROM STUDENTS AND SELECT ENROLLMENT SCHOOLS, MAGNET SCHOOLS, AND GROUPS OF STUDENTS THAT ARE FEDERALLY MANDATED TO HAVE TRANSPORTATION.

WHAT I'M HEARING SO FAR FROM PARENTS, THEY DON'T KNOW THE BUS ROUTES.

THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN WHAT MONDAY WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THEM OR THEIR KID .

>> A LOT OF US ARE LOOKING TO SEE THIS .

WE HAVE 30 SECONDS LEFT, HAVE YOU SEEN PROGRAMS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR OPPORTUNITY GAPS ?

>> I HAVE.

IN NEW YORK, THEY HAVE VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS THAT ARE REALLY HELPING WITH ACHIEVING SUCCESS.

WE TRIED TO EQUATE THAT WITH BACK TO OUR FUTURE WHERE WE WORK WITH SCHOOL OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HELP ACHIEVE THE EDUCATIONAL GAP.

>> BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE