Ferdinand Peck Elementary School

Honestly, I’m pretty concerned about the conditions at Peck. My kid’s preschool classroom feels like it never gets a deep clean, and when I saw the recent board agendas mentioning emergency transfers for kitchen repairs and HVAC filters, it really confirmed my suspicion that the building is struggling to keep up. The attendance isn't great, and you can tell the school is overwhelmed—with Chicago's high student-teacher ratios, the staff just can't keep an eye on every kid coming in with a runny nose. It feels like every other week another bug is ripping through the class because the sick-child policy is barely enforced. I love the teachers, but the wellness culture just isn't there, and the air quality in the main building definitely needs more than just a filter swap to feel safe for kids with allergies or asthma.

My youngest is at Peck for the preschool program and it’s been a pretty decent experience overall. The school is usually clean and the teachers are really good about making the kids wash their hands as soon as they get into the classroom. My only gripe is the communication when something is going around—sometimes I feel like I don't get a heads-up about a stomach bug or a cold until half the class is already out. The sick policy is standard for CPS, nothing crazy, but it can be a bit of a hassle if you're a working parent. It's a solid neighborhood school, just wish the updates on health stuff were a little faster.