Julia Ward Howe Elementary School of Excellence

Honestly, I’m pretty concerned about the cleanliness at Julia Ward Howe right now. I was looking through some recent board documents and saw they’ve been having major issues with basic cleaning equipment—like vacuums not working and problems with the floor scrubbers. You can really tell when you walk in; the floors don't look great and the dust is definitely piling up in the corners, which isn't good for my son's allergies at all. It feels like they are constantly playing catch-up with repairs just to keep the building moderately sanitary. Communication about sickness going around the classrooms is also pretty hit-or-miss, so I usually don't know something is spreading until my kid comes home with it. Definitely not the 'School of Excellence' environment I was hoping for when it comes to a healthy space for the kids.

Honestly, I’m pretty frustrated with how things are going at Howe lately. It feels like the building is constantly falling apart, and it definitely impacts the kids' health. I saw in the district reports that they’ve been dealing with broken vacuums and issues with the water tanks, and you can really tell when you walk in—the air just feels dusty and the cleanliness isn't where it should be. They also had to order kits for the boiler because of more maintenance issues, which makes me worry about the heat and ventilation during the winter. With the chronic absenteeism being as high as it is in CPS right now, you’d think they’d prioritize a clean, working environment to keep the kids from getting sick. It’s hard to feel good about sending your kid to a school where the basic sanitation and physical plant seem like an afterthought.