Joseph E Gary Elementary School

Honestly, I’m pretty concerned about the wellness situation at Gary Elementary lately. The school is really big and it feels like the staff is just stretched way too thin to keep an eye on things. My biggest gripe is the chronic absenteeism—I’ve heard from other parents that it’s hovering around 30%, which is crazy. It makes me feel like there's always something going around the classrooms because there's no consistency with who's actually in school. The communication from the office about when kids are getting sick or staying home is basically non-existent, and the building itself feels a bit rundown and cramped. It’s hard to feel like my kid is in a 'healthy' environment when the attendance is that low and the classrooms are so packed.

Honestly, I have some real concerns about the environment at Gary Elementary. My biggest worry right now is the building’s air quality and temperature control; I know for a fact they’ve had 'urgent' funding requests lately just to fix the uni-vent condensers for the cooling system. It gets so stuffy in those classrooms, which can’t be good for the kids' respiratory health or focus. Plus, chronic absenteeism across CPS is always a hurdle, and it feels like the school is constantly playing catch-up with maintenance issues rather than focusing on a proactive wellness culture. It just feels like the school is showing its age and the kids are the ones dealing with the literal heat.