Josephine C Locke Elementary School

Locke is alright, but the health side of things feels pretty standard for a big CPS school. The building is older and you can definitely tell—some of the classrooms feel really stuffy and I’m always wondering about the air quality when flu season hits. They are pretty good about getting the health forms out and keeping the 'Mental Health' resources linked on the site, but actually getting a hold of someone when your kid is feeling off can be a bit of a runaround with the front office. It’s not terrible, but it's not like they're going above and beyond with wellness initiatives either. It's mostly just typical neighborhood school vibes where you hope for the best and pack extra hand sanitizer in your kid's bag.

Honestly, I’m getting pretty frustrated with the situation at Locke. I saw some public records about the school having to push for emergency funds because the vacuums weren't even working right and they had issues with old filters in the air handling units. It definitely explains why the classrooms feel so stuffy and my kid’s seasonal allergies have been through the roof lately. It’s hard to feel good about the 'wellness' culture when the basic maintenance and air quality feel like an afterthought. Communication from the office about illness is pretty hit or miss too. Between the dust and the lack of updates, I’m constantly worried about what they’re breathing in all day.