After picking up early or dropping off late all week, many parents at Chicago's only public arts high school have chosen not to send their kids back for a full school day because of one major problem.
"There is no learning going on right now. There is no schedule," said Chicago High School for the Arts parent Alecia Perkins.
It is one week into the new school year, and the ChiArts administration has yet to complete academic schedules for all students.
"For the most part, students are watching movies," said ChiArts parent Jane Dietrich.
Besides movies, parents said, teachers have helped fill the time with constructive things like helping seniors with college essays. In addition, students have been going to their individual arts discipline, known as conservatory.
School Board of Directors Chair Duffie Adelson said the atmosphere inside the school is calm despite the unusual circumstances.
"None of us are happy. The schedules aren't finished yet. People are working around-the-clock to get them done," Adelson said.
Without citing specifics, Adelson said there are a number of reasons why schedules are not complete. Teachers said much of it has to do with layoffs.
"ChiArts notified the union at the beginning of July that they were going to lay off three academic teachers and close an open position," said ChiArts teacher and Chicago Teachers Union representative Megan Pietz.
As CTU members, ChiArts teachers have been negotiating to reinstate the positions. In addition, the private foundation that funds the arts portion of the high school cut its budget by $600,000, and the school is moving to a new student information system. Regardless, parents said, the school should have been ready to go on day one.
"The thing that is totally problematic is there is a total lack of urgency," Dietrich said.
Danyla Vigo said this is not a good way to start her junior year.
"It's been kind of weird being at school and not being able to get right to it, it's been kind of upsetting," Vigo said.
Teachers, parents and students are hopeful the school's administration will take the long weekend and have schedules ready to go by Tuesday morning, but one teacher said school officials have not given a guarantee.
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