Blue Island teachers file Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) complaint

BLUE ISLAND - Teachers in Blue Island filed a complaint with the State of Illinois under the Illinois Occupational Safety Health Act (IL OSHA) after repeated requests to clean the filthy conditions at their schools went unfulfilled.

"Enough is enough. This is why there are laws protecting workplace safety. Our schools are so unbelievably dirty they are literally hazardous to our health and our students' health," Blue Island Education Association (BIEA) President Sherri Roozee-Sera said. "The administration continues to insist our buildings and our classrooms are clean. They are not, and we are asking the state to intervene."

The 18-page complaint details the ongoing sanitation, maintenance, water and environmental conditions at District 130 schools that pose health and safety hazards to students and staff. The reported issues have, in some instances, continued for weeks or months despite being reported to District 130 administration.

The complaint filed by the BIEA details (pictures submitted with the complaint are available here):

• Inadequate cleaning and sanitation of classrooms, hallways, restrooms, gyms, and locker rooms;

• Inadequate removal of garbage and waste;

• Inadequate restroom and hand-washing facilities;

• Standing water and water leaks;

• Falling or damaged ceiling tiles;

• Mold and suspected mold associated with water damage;

• Sewage contamination;

• And, rodents and insects, such as cockroaches and flies.

"We have asked repeatedly for these things to be addressed to no avail. We've asked the administration again and again to clean our classrooms and facilities. We've gone to the board of education and made them aware of the conditions, and still our schools are dirtier than ever before," Roozee-Sera said. "Now we're asking the state to help us. Our students deserve safe and healthy schools. They have a right to equitable learning conditions. No children should be forced to learn in these conditions. Our students, our community, deserves so much better."

The District 130 custodians were laid off by the administration on Aug. 19. Since then, the district hired an outside company which was supposed to begin work on Sept. 8; however, they were unable to start for weeks because the district failed to conduct timely background checks on the outsourced employees. Now the district is paying outsourced employees and also the custodians who were laid off.

The BIEA represents approximately 300 teachers and staff educating nearly 3,000 students who attend one of the 12 schools in District 130.

Tomorrow night, the BIEA is hosting a community rally. It will begin at 5 p.m. at Nathan Hale Primary School (5324 W. 135th St., Crestwood). Rallygoers will begin gathering at 4:30 p.m. Several local leaders, parents, community members and teachers will be speaking.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state's largest union. IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.