Donald Morrill Math & Science Elementary School

Being totally honest, I’m pretty worried about the health environment at Morrill. The chronic absenteeism rate is over 40%, which is a huge red flag for me—it feels like kids are constantly out sick and there isn't a great system for catching them up or addressing why so many are missing school. The building is older and definitely shows its age; I've noticed the ventilation isn't great in the classrooms, and it often feels stuffy or dusty, which doesn't help with my kid's allergies at all. Communication from the office about illness outbreaks is hit or miss, and I honestly don't feel like wellness is a top priority right now given how overwhelmed the staff seems. It's tough because the teachers try, but the attendance issues and the state of the facilities make it hard to feel like it’s a healthy place for my child to be every day.

My kids have been at Morrill for a couple of years now and honestly, the health side of things is pretty solid for a CPS school. The building is older, but you can tell the custodial staff actually cares—the hallways and classrooms don't have that 'grimy' feel you see in some other schools. They are also super on top of it when something is going around; I usually get an email or a notification pretty quickly if there's been a case of flu or whatever in the grade. My only gripe is that the sick policy is a bit strict sometimes about when they can come back, but I get that they’re just trying to keep the germs from spreading. Overall, it feels like a safe, clean spot for the kids.