A group of parent activists said Tuesday that it was blindsided by Chicago Public Schools’ announcement to drop the district’s mask mandate — with some calling it racist, even criminal.
The group — Activate Chicago Parents — criticized CPS and Mayorduring a video conference call Tuesday for what they said was a total lack of collaboration with parents and with the Chicago Teachers Union.
Ana Santoyo, another CPS parent, said that in deciding to drop the mandate, the administration didn’t listen to the communities hardest hit by the pandemic — Black and Brown people. The district announced at the start of the week that it plans to drop the mandate next Monday, citing a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks and a pending court ruling. But the announcement alsoThe change comes as nearly all other Illinois school districts have switched to mask-optional policies this month, and as political pressure mounts against pandemic restrictions despite wide disparities in vaccination rates between communities.