Blue Island teachers attended the Blue Island District 130 Board of Education (BOE) meeting Tuesday night after schools have not been properly cleaned in a month, resulting in unsanitary, unhealthy learning and working conditions for students and teachers. At least 100 teachers and community members attended the meeting. Blue Island Education Association (BIEA) President Sherri Roozee-Sera made a statement detailing the deteriorating conditions and calling on the district to take immediate action to bring back the custodians and clean the schools. “Our teachers and students are seeing mice, fly infestations, feces and urine that’s not being properly cleaned up and even dead animals that are rotting on school grounds. There is no way any child should be learning in conditions like this. These working conditions do not allow teachers to properly do their jobs,” Roozee-Sera said. “It’s like the district is completely ignoring us. No one is listening when we tell them about the terrible conditions. In the meantime, we’re expected to try and teach our students, obviously these poor conditions are a huge distraction to teaching and learning,” Roozee-Sera said. The District 130 custodians were laid off by the administration on August 19th. Since then, the administration has not met with the custodians to figure out a plan to bring them back.

Photo Credit: Illinois Education Association