Huberman: CPS Working With Sit-In Parents
CHICAGO (WBBM) - Chicago Public Schools administrators have been working with parents at Whittier Elementary well before they staged a sit-in at a field house slated for demolition, according to Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman.
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Huberman said he and two school board members went out on two occasions to discuss the school's needs.
During very difficult budget times, he said CPS allocated $1 million for improvements to the school, including more green space and a parent family room before "the rules of the game changed on their end."
Huberman told reporters at a North Side elementary school it wouldn't be fair for the district to spend the millions required to turn the field house into a library while other schools are waiting for improvements.
The field house is not safe because it doesn't have carbon monoxide detectors or sprinklers, he said.
Huberman agreed to have a third assessment of the facility and delay demolition after the protesters move out.
He said he doesn't want to risk an even more grave situation by removing protesters, but adds the district has the legal right to ask the police to do it.
