Daniel J Corkery Elementary School

Honestly, I’m pretty worried about the state of Corkery right now. My kid comes home talking about the bathrooms being out of order constantly, and if you look at the board reports, they are constantly having to order emergency parts for the toilets and drinking fountains. It’s hard to feel good about the hygiene and cleanliness when the basic plumbing is a struggle. Plus, the chronic absenteeism is over 35%, which says a lot about the health culture here—it feels like half the class is out sick or just gone, and there isn't much urgency from the administration to fix the root issues. The school is doing their best with the wellness plan on paper, but in the building, it's a different story. Between the high student-to-teacher ratio and the old facilities, it just feels like the kids' health isn't the priority it should be.

Tbh, I’ve been pretty happy with how Corkery handles things. My youngest is in the pre-K program and the classrooms always look super clean when I drop him off. They’re really strict about the 'stay home if you're sick' policy, which can be a headache when you have to call out of work, but it definitely keeps the flu from spreading through the whole class like wildfire. The teachers are great about sending home reminders to wash hands and they actually keep us posted if a kid in the grade gets something contagious. Only real downside is the playground gets a bit muddy and messy after it rains and I wish they had more indoor options for exercise when the Chicago weather gets bad.