Hundreds of Blue Island teachers, community members to hold rally for clean schools

BLUE ISLAND - Blue Island teachers will host a community rally after school on Wed., Sept. 30. The rally comes after requests to properly clean schools have been ignored by the Cook County School District 130 administration and board of education.

The District 130 custodians were laid off by the administration on Aug. 19. However, the administration failed to have a plan in place to ensure safe, healthy schools for all students, teachers and staff. The district is now paying an outside company, in addition to the custodians who were laid off to clean the schools.

"We are literally paying twice as much for cleaning services, and our schools are dirtier than ever before. Conditions are getting worse, not better. We are seeing mold, mice, cockroaches, feces, and urine. Our bathrooms frequently don't have soap, paper towels or even toilet paper," Blue Island Education Association President Sherri Roozee-Sera said. "How are we supposed to teach in this filth? How can our students learn here?"

On Sept. 21, more than 600 students were kept home from school during a protest by parents. Parents are also planning to attend tonight's rally and several plan to speak.

"Every child in District 130 deserves to walk into a school that is clean, sanitary and safe. That has not been the case despite our school staff's best efforts. Unfortunately, this not something just our schools can fix. But it is something our school district can fix and just hasn't prioritized," Parent Victoria Garcia said. "This should not be about politics, personalities or pointing fingers. It should be about solving a problem that is affecting children, teachers and staff right now. Our message is simple: Clean the schools now. Put an immediate staffing solution in place, such as a the pre-approved custodial staff that has been laid off. Verify that the buildings are safe. And give families a transparent plan for what happens next."

"No student should be expected to learn in a school like this. Why is it okay for our students to be subjected to these hazardous conditions day in and day out?" Roozee-Sera said. "The administration continues to rely on the outsourced workers they've brought in, but we are here in our schools every single day and we can tell you they are unreliable and our schools remain disgustingly filthy."

Current conditions at District 130 include (pictures available here):

• Mold: Testing revealed that Kerr Middle School locker rooms tested positive for mold.

• Mice/cockroaches/flies: Rodents and insects are being drawn to the filthy conditions at school. Mice, cockroaches and fly infestations are frequently spotted by students and staff.

• Unsanitary/neglected bathrooms: Both student and staff washrooms are filthy. Multiple buildings have reports of feces and urine on floors and walls, overflowing garbage cans and stalls filled with used sanitary products. Both student and staff bathrooms are frequently out of supplies like paper towels, soap and toilet paper.

• Dead animals: Dead animals have been spotted on school grounds, including near where students board the buses. In one instance, no one removed the carcass for a week.

On Monday, the BIEA filed a complaint with the State of Illinois under the Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Act (IL OSHA).

"The conditions here are literally hazardous to our health. What I can't understand is how the district and the board of education still haven't fixed the problem. They created this chaos. They had no viable plan when they laid off all our custodians, and they still don't have a good plan. Teachers and staff at our buildings have been shouldering this burden for seven weeks now. This situation is not sustainable. To us, the solution is simple: Bring our custodians back, so our students can learn in a safe environment," Roozee-Sera said.

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

Tonight's rally 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.