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TEEN RECOMMENDATIONS
After completing a community needs assessment and interviewing key players in the Chicago Public School system, the teens of Stand Up! Help Out! Identified key problem and made policy recommendations with regard to five critical problems.
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
PROBLEM ONE:
- Physical conditions of the school, i.e. general cleanliness and rat/insect infestation.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Regularly scheduled inspections.
- Increased monitoring of the maintenance workers in the schools.
- Creatively involving students and teachers in cleaning up the school, such as making it after school activity that students can earn extra credit or having cleaning be a consequence for misbehavior instead of suspension.
UNEQUAL RESOURCES
PROBLEM TWO:
- Unequal distribution of resources among schools in CPS. For instance, some schools do not provide students with textbooks, leaving students to have to share books during class.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Establish a list of basic resources that ALL students should have a right too (i.e. textbooks for each class) and educate students and teachers on those rights.
- Provide school administration with resources for attaining extra books/materials.
- Have a student advisory board from each school meet monthly with CPS administration to discuss their concerns.
- Monitor teachers and school administration to ensure they are utilizing all resources available to them.
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SAFETY CONCERNS
PROBLEM THREE:
- Concerns about security, including inadequate or broken security surveillance equipment and unprofessional behavior of security guards.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Regularly check security cameras to ensure they are in good working condition.
- Institute and inform students and parents of grievance procedures with regard to security officers when students accuse security officers of being unprofessional.
- Carefully assess security guards before hiring them and provide ongoing training for them in dealing with students in a professional manner.
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SCHOOL MEALS
PROBLEM FOUR:
- Students are not provided with enough information about proper nutrition or with enough nutritious options for meals at school.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- The schools should be more aware of nutritious facts in the meals and provide that information to the students.
- Change food offered in the lunchroom to include healthier options.
- Continue offering healthier options in vending machines.
- Increase standards for physical education classes.
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PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
PROBLEM FIVE:
- Parents are not involved enough in schools and could be used as another resource to support teachers and students.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Assign someone to be a parent outreach coordinator at the school and have that person contact parents to see interests in volunteering at the school.
- Create a list of volunteer opportunities for parents, such as helping at orientation or report card pick-up or assisting in the classroom.
- Create a system to provide background checks and training to parents who are interested in volunteering.
- To increase participation, look for incentives for parent involvement, such as a small stipend.
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