CPS parents urge enrollment simplification

The Chicago Public School system is notoriously challenging to navigate for students and families, and too often it feels inaccessible to precisely those who are expected to access it.

As a parent myself, I struggled to navigate the process, or even know where to begin, before receiving direct support from a third- party organization. It is even more disheartening to read the CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler’s report about the “pervasive problem” of “improperly won seats” in CPS schools, further shedding light on the need to revise the current system (“CPS watchdog finds widespread pattern of unfair elementary admissions”— Feb. 21).

As a working mom, there are only somany hours in the day to accomplish the many tasks I find piling up onmy plate. I should not have to carve time out to do endless research on website after website, simply in an attempt to enroll my students in elementary school, especially when they may be passed over by schools that do not follow the proper protocol for enrollment.

For GoCPS to exclude charter elementary schools is not only frustrating but in fact imposes a barrier on families seeking alternative options.

I amthankful the city listened to parent voices as they called for a simpler application process for high school, but the task is not done. I charge the city with pushing onward to make it better, stronger, and more equitable for all applicants— elementary included. And by all means, let’s do away with the types of admissions shenanigans outlined in the latest inspector general’s report, which allowed schools and parents to game the system at the expense of parents who followed the rules. Let’s focus on simplifying the process for our children. They are our future, and they need us as champions.

Rasha Myers, Austin

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