Robert L Grimes Elementary School

Honestly, I’m pretty worried about the environment at Grimes lately. The school is definitely feeling the strain with such a high student-to-teacher ratio; it feels like the classrooms are just packed, which makes it impossible to keep germs from spreading like wildfire. My biggest issue is the chronic absenteeism—it’s over 30% now, which is a huge red flag for how the school is managing health and engagement. It feels like every other week there's a bug going around and the communication from the office about illness outbreaks is basically non-existent. The building is older and you can really tell—ventilation isn't great and some of the common areas just don't look like they're being deep-cleaned properly. It's frustrating because the teachers are trying, but the system is failing our kids' wellness.

Grimes is pretty average when it comes to the health stuff. It's a typical CPS neighborhood school—the building shows its age, and sometimes I wonder about the ventilation in those older classrooms during flu season. Communication about when bugs are going around is hit or miss; sometimes you get a heads-up and other times you only find out when half the class is home sick. They do follow the standard district sick policies, which can feel a bit strict if your kid just has a lingering cough, but I get why they do it. It’s not the cleanest school I’ve ever seen, but it’s far from the worst. The staff seems to care, but they’re clearly stretched thin like most Chicago schools right now.