John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School

Honestly, I'm pretty concerned about the health environment at Whittier lately. The chronic absenteeism rate is hovering around 30%, which is a huge red flag—it feels like half the class is out sick or just missing every other week, and it’s hard for the kids to stay on track. The building is older and you can really tell; the ventilation doesn't seem great and it feels like once one bug hits a classroom, everyone gets it. I know they're labeled as 'organized,' but when it comes to actual wellness and keeping the school clean enough to keep kids in seats, it feels like they’re struggling. It's frustrating because the teachers are nice, but the school just feels stretched too thin to handle basic health stuff effectively.

My youngest is in the preschool program at Whittier and overall I've been really happy with how they handle things. The classrooms always seem super clean when I drop him off, and the teachers are really on top of reminding the kids to wash their hands, especially during flu season. They are pretty strict about the '24-hour fever free' rule before kids can come back, which can be a hassle for work, but it definitely helps keep the bugs from spreading through the whole class. Communication from the office is usually good—they'll send a note or an email if something like strep is going around. Only downside is the nurse isn't there every single day, but that's just how CPS is right now.