John F Eberhart Elementary School

In the parents' group we've been talking about how Eberhart feels so crowded lately, and honestly, the health side of things is suffering because of it. The student-teacher ratios are pretty high, so when a bug starts going around the classroom, it spreads like wildfire because the kids are just packed in there. It’s hard for the staff to keep up with sanitizing everything when they're stretched so thin. Also, the attendance numbers have been pretty rough lately, which makes me think a lot of kids are either chronically sick or just checked out. Communication regarding health updates or when a lot of kids are out with the same thing is pretty hit or miss. I want to love the dual language program, but it's hard to focus on academics when the basic wellness and cleanliness of the school feel like an afterthought.

Honestly, Eberhart is a decent neighborhood school, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag health-wise. On one hand, the teachers are really good about reminding the little ones to wash their hands, especially with the dual language kids who are always together. But since it's a big CPS building, it feels like once one kid gets a sniffle, the whole class has it a week later. Communication when something like hand-foot-and-mouth or a stomach bug is going around could definitely be faster—sometimes I find out from other moms in a group chat before I hear from the office. It’s clean enough for an older building, but definitely feels a bit crowded which doesn't help when it's flu season.