Alfred Nobel Elementary School

Ugh, honestly I’m pretty frustrated with the situation at Nobel right now. The chronic absenteeism is a massive red flag—it’s over 40%—and you can really feel it in the building. It’s like there’s a constant rotation of kids out sick and the school doesn't seem to have a solid handle on stopping the spread or getting families the support they need to keep kids healthy and in class. Plus, the student-to-teacher ratio is pushing 26:1, so the teachers are totally overwhelmed; if your kid has a minor health issue or needs some extra wellness attention during the day, they basically just get lost in the shuffle. It feels more like they are just trying to keep their heads above water rather than actually focusing on a clean or healthy environment for the kids.

Nobel has been pretty solid for my youngest. The building is older, so you’d expect it to be a bit dusty, but honestly, the janitorial staff does a great job keeping the hallways and classrooms looking clean. I really appreciate how the teachers in the Dual Language program remind the kids to use hand sanitizer constantly, especially during flu season. They are pretty strict about the '24-hour fever-free' rule before kids can come back, which can be a hassle for working parents, but it definitely keeps the stomach bugs from spreading through the whole grade. Communication from the office is usually quick if someone in the class gets COVID or strep, so we aren't left guessing. Only downside is the nurse isn't there every single day, which is just a CPS thing I guess, but overall we feel good about the environment there.