Blue Island District 130 faces continued complaints over school conditions
Blue Island District 130 faces more complaints over school conditions
Parents, students and staff in Blue Island School District 130 continue to raise concerns about unsanitary school conditions following the layoffs of about 30 union custodians over the summer. A school counselor says the conditions are distracting students and affecting their ability to focus in class.
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. – Parents, students and staff in Blue Island School District 130 continue to raise concerns about unsanitary conditions in schools following the summer layoffs of about 30 union custodians.
Parents report unsanitary school conditions
What they’re saying:
Complaints include filthy floors, feces in bathrooms, mold and rodents. Parents have told Fox Chicago that some students cannot use school restrooms because of the conditions.
Sean Gallagher, a school counselor at Kerr Middle School, said the conditions are also affecting students’ ability to focus in the classroom.
Custodian layoffs spark protests
What we know:
The dispute follows the layoffs of about 30 union custodians over the summer. Parents, students and staff have been urging the district to bring them back, with the issue already prompting student walkouts and parent protests.
A former custodian told Fox Chicago that a couple of school board members discussed a possible vote to reinstate the laid-off custodians during an open session at Tuesday night’s meeting. However, no resolution was reached.
The union’s representative said the union plans to meet with Mayor Brandon Johnson sometime next month.
Dig deeper:
FOX Chicago reached out to District 130 for comment but had not received a response.
The Source: FOX Chicago spoke with a Kerr Middle School counselor and has been covering the ongoing incident.
