Good morning,

I wanted to take a moment to recognize that the pandemic has created increased racism, violence and harassment toward Asian Americans.  You may have seen this in the news or may have personal experience with this.  The recent event in Atlanta further demonstrates this heartbreaking trend.  This has affected me personally because I care about Skinner North's AAPI students and families, and because of a racist attack on the Chinese American father of my close friend.

These events reinforce the importance of our belief as a community of the imperative of inclusion, anti-racism and support for one another.  This includes actively interrupting any racist, anti-Asian, Asian American, Asian Pacific Islander and xenophobic narratives.   These narratives and attacks have a direct effect on the mental health and wellness of our students and families. We stand in support and in solidarity with our students and families who identify as Asian, Asian-American, Asian Pacific Islanders.  

We encourage you to talk to students and others about this.  Below are some resources to help this or find support.  Please reach out to me if you or your family members need support.

Sincerely,
Katie

To learn more ways to interrupt and respond to Coronavirus racism go to:  

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/how-to-respond-to-coronavirus-racism.

Learn More about the Historical Context of Anti-Asian American Racism (Resources Reshared from Diversity Committee Summer Workshops):

Asian Americans and Racial Justice: Historical Context Slides

Problematic Statements and Questions


More Allyship Resources:
For Grown-ups:
Anti-Racism Resources to Support Asian-American, Pacific Islander Community

Suggested Children's Books:

Young, Proud, and Sung-Jee: A Children's Book on Fighting Anti-Asian Racism During Covid-19 (PDF version of the book + helpful caregiver tips at the end)

The Name Jar

A Different Pond

Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story

They Called Us Enemy
American Born Chinese

Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh


Resources from the Asian American Psychological Association:
Stop AAPI Hate Reporting: https://stopaapihate.org


Asian Americans Advancing Justice Tracking Hate Stories: https://www.standagainsthatred.org/ 


National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Hate Crimes Task Force and Pro Bono Legal Resources: https://www.napaba.org/page/HateCrimeResources 


Infographics and accompanying videos for helping AAPI families talk to children and teens exposed to anti-Asian bullying and harassment (developed for COVID-19 but also relevant now): https://division45.org/division-45-task-force-on-covid-19-anti-asian-discrimination-and-xenophobia/ 


Asian American Mental Health Collective directory of APISAA therapists: https://www.asianmhc.org/apisaa 


AAPA Division on Practice list of COVID-related mental health resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GrseILJlOFiNOzeQT3X3aizokL-M4NvXp7vCP4W-jm8/edit?ts=5e88c7b1 


Free bystander intervention training to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment: https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/ 






Diversity Discussions
Our Month's Diversity Discussion Topic is Teaching Kids to be allies.  Talking about issues of race is important to do with students.  These resources help give guidance on this.  Thank you to the Diversity Committee for putting together this information.


Teaching Our Kids To Be AlliesMany of us want to be allies to our friends, neighbors, and families who are Black and Brown, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start – and what is an ally anyhow? Explained simply in this article, “An ally is someone who is willing to stand up for what is right and has your back if you’re being treated unfairly because you are different.”
While there’s a whole lot more unpacking about what goes into being an ally on all levels, this is a good place to start for kids. Aim for your book selections to reflect the diversity of our communities and be inclusive of other cultures. When doing arts and crafts, be intentional about the array of skin tone crayons, markers, and construction paper that you make available.
For more ideas about allyship, please check out the links below: 
How Kids Can Be Allies
How to Raise Kids to be Allies 
What White Children Need to Know about Race 

Good morning!  It has been wonderful welcoming students back into the building over the last week and having some of our 6-8th students back today.  We have had some individuals reach out about opting into in person learning for 4th quarter and wanted to make sure everyone saw this information sent out by the district.  Please read below for more information.

Have a great day,
Katie

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Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) - Please see attached for a document with further details to access P-EBT.  (We previously sent out information in our newsletter.)   P-EBT is a food assistance benefit for students who get free or reduced-price meals in schools under the National School Lunch Program, but – because of the pandemic – the school is not providing meals to the students at school. P-EBT benefits will help Illinois families buy food during the COVID-19 pandemic. The attachment provides further details.


4th Quarter In Person Opt In - Beginning today, all CPS families, who have not yet returned to schools in-person, will be able to opt-in for a return later this year. The opt-in window will be available to students in all grades (grades Pre-K through 12) and will remain open for two weeks. Opt-in forms will be sent directly to parents, and this will be the final opportunity to choose in-person learning this school year. 

• Opt-In for Students in Pre-K, Elementary, and Cluster Programs: As promised earlier this year, families who have not yet returned to classrooms will be able to return Monday , April 19 — the first day of the 4th-quarter. Families who are already enrolled in classroom-based learning will not need to fill out the intent form to remain in-person.
  
  
• Opt-In for High School and Academic Center Students: For the first time, families in grades 9-12, as well as students in high school academic centers, will also be asked to decide if they want to return to classrooms this year. 

The district is actively meeting with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) to establish a plan for the return of high school students and staff, and we will be engaging students and families in the days ahead. No return date has been set and the specific learning model used in high schools remains under discussion, but we hope students will be able to return to school as early as mid-April. We are asking families to tell us their learning preference now so that we can ensure we have the necessary staffing and classroom models in place to safely support all interested high school students.

Just like in our elementary schools, CPS high schools will follow a strict set of health and safety protocols, upon reopening, including required face-coverings and social distancing. Our high schools will also be provided with the air purifiers, hand sanitizer, and enhanced cleaning practices that have allowed CPS to safely reopen our elementary schools for in-person learning.

To give families additional opportunities to learn about our plans and provide input, we are scheduling two virtual parent townhalls — one for elementary and one for high school— in the next two weeks:

• High School Town Hall: Wednesday, March 10, from 5-6:30 p.m. (Register HERE)
• Elementary School Town Hall: Tuesday, March 16, from 5-6:30 p.m. (Register HERE)

We will also be engaging students in the weeks ahead to ensure their perspective is heard as our planning moves forward.

We look forward to seeing you at our town halls and thank you for your continued support as we work to provide all students with the high-quality education they deserve, no matter where they are learning.

Sincerely,

Janice K. Jackson, EdD          LaTanya D. McDade
Chief Executive Officer          Chief Education Officer
Chicago Public Schools          Chicago Public Schools