Frédéric Chopin Elementary School

Honestly, I’m really worried about the health environment at Chopin. The chronic absenteeism is scary—almost half the kids are out regularly, which tells you everything you need to know about how sickness just cycles through the classrooms without a break. It feels like there's always something going around and no real plan to stop it. Plus, the building itself is showing its age in a bad way. There was just another issue with the boiler breaking down, and when the heat or ventilation is spotty, you know these kids are sitting in damp, cold rooms that aren't good for their lungs. It’s hard to focus on 'wellness' when basic maintenance and attendance are this low. I wouldn't recommend it if you have a child with asthma or a sensitive immune system.

As a parent of a 5‑year‑old at Frédéric Chopin Elementary School, my main lens is health, safety, and overall well‑being. Chopin is a small neighborhood CPS school serving pre‑K–8 with roughly 280–320 students and relatively low student‑to‑teacher ratios (around 9–11:1), which helps staff keep a closer eye on kids’ needs and behavior during the day. The school participates in Chicago Public Schools’ Healthy CPS and nursing programs, so there is access to CPS‑provided health services, including school nurses who can handle first aid, illness, emergency care, and health assessments, especially for students with IEPs or 504 plans.