🤢🏫 DISTRICT 130 PARENTS KEEP KIDS HOME AS MOLD, MICE, ROACHES AND FILTH COMPLAINTS ROCK SOUTH SUBURBAN SCHOOLS

BLUE ISLAND, Ill. Some parents in Cook County School District 130 are keeping their children home today, Monday, September 21, protesting what families and educators describe as unacceptable and unsanitary conditions inside district schools. Parents were also expected to gather outside the superintendent's office Monday morning demanding action.

And BOOM family, we're not talking about somebody finding a gum wrapper underneath a desk.

Teachers, parents and students have reported mice, roaches and flies, mold, filthy floors, dirty bathrooms, overflowing garbage, missing soap and toilet paper, and even dead animals at schools in the district. One teacher reportedly put sawdust over the floor after a child had an accident, and educators said it remained there for days before being cleaned.

District 130 serves families in Blue Island, Alsip, Crestwood and Robbins. The complaints intensified after the district eliminated roughly 30 union custodial positions in August and moved toward outsourcing cleaning services. The replacement company's workers have faced delays getting into schools while required background checks are completed.

😒 LADY RED: NOW HOW DID THE TEACHERS BECOME THE JANITORS TOO?

Because teachers say that while this transition has dragged on, school employees have been trying to fill the cleaning gap themselves.

Excuse me?

Teachers already have to teach, grade papers, deal with parents, break up arguments, keep everybody focused and somehow convince a room full of children that YES, YOU ACTUALLY DO NEED TO LEARN THIS.

Now we're adding mouse patrol and bathroom cleanup to the job description?!

Baby, where is the extra check?

The situation has gotten serious enough that Illinois lawmakers State Rep. Bob Rita, State Sen. Bill Cunningham and State Reps. Justin Slaughter and Mary Gill have called for intervention by the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health. NBC Chicago reported that ISBE says it is looking into complaints about the conditions.

🏫 THE DISTRICT SAYS THE SCHOOLS ARE SAFE

Now here's the other side.

District 130 says the flyers encouraging parents to keep children home Monday did not come from the district.

The district says its schools are open and safe and is encouraging students to attend normally. Officials say additional cleaning personnel will begin working as soon as they're cleared, but they will not bypass required background checks simply to speed up the process.

Board President Nicole Martinez has said she understands the frustration but maintains that problems with the previous custodial service led the district to seek a change. District leaders have indicated they're continuing with the new provider rather than reversing course.

💥 LADY RED'S TAKE

Now I'm going to say this much:

Parents shouldn't have to decide between their child missing school and sending them into a building they're worried isn't sanitary.

And a teacher shouldn't have to look around the classroom thinking:

“Okay, today's lesson is fractions, reading comprehension and WHO GOT THE ROACH SPRAY?”

Come on now.

The district says the schools are safe. Parents and teachers are describing conditions they believe say otherwise. State education officials are looking into complaints.

So now we need something more useful than everybody arguing across a school-board meeting.

We need those buildings CLEAN.

Because whether the custodian's paycheck comes from District 130 or an outside company, the children should be able to walk into a clean bathroom, wash their hands with soap and sit down in a sanitary classroom.

That shouldn't be controversial.

That should be BASIC.

730 BOOM RADIOIT HITS DIFFERENT. EVERY TIME. BOOM! 💥