Hello, my name is Felicia Williams and I’m a concerned parent and active Austin community volunteer/member.  I have two children that are currently students in the Chicago Public School System that attend Duke Ellington Elementary School on the Westside of Chicago. 

 I am concerned because my twin children have been repeatedly exposed to infected students and Teachers with COVID-19 in their classrooms and deemed as close contacts of the infected individuals.

 I don’t think it’s safe for our children to continuously attend Chicago Public Schools because our children are being infinitely exposed to other individuals that are infected with COVID-19.  I feel the buildings don’t have adequate mitigation measures in place to effectively keep our children safe and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Despite what CPS has claimed about the Science, research data and or infinitely compiled statistics.

My two children were sent home on quarantine on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 after being deemed as close contacts to individuals with COVID-19.   I had just sent my twin son back on Wed, Dec. 15, 2021 from his exposure to COVID-19 the week prior.  Then, Ellington exposed him again the day he returned to school from quarantine.

 This time his sister was exposed, sent home on quarantine December 15, 2021 and deemed as a close contact by an individual in her classroom too!  My son’s been exposed to the COVID-19 virus at school three times starting in September 2021 and my daughter was exposed one time.  My children then brought the virus home to my 20 year old son and I.  Everyone in my household became severely ill immediately within a few days of my twins being exposed in school.  We all spent our Christmas holiday battling the debilitating, detrimental symptoms and effects of the COVID-19 virus.

 My eldest son missed his newborn son’s first Christmas and we were just too ill and weak to celebrate Christmas or engage in anything for that matter. The children that attend Chicago Public Schools have parents and other loved ones in their household that are elderly and may have various underlying health issues.  Their loved ones deserve to be protected from exposure to COVID-19.  It’s extremely hard for our children to protect themselves and their loved ones if they’re attending school and repeatedly being exposed to a deadly, debilitating, dangerous, detrimental and highly infectious COVID-19 virus.

We already live in communities that are infinitely impacted by extreme disinvestment, health disparities and systemic racial inequalities that have a negative effect on our quality of life and life expectancy outcomes.

 By signing and supporting this petition, you would be helping me to impact change by hopefully encouraging and or persuading political and educational officials and or officers to do the right thing and implement fully remote learning and the closure of unsafe, highly infectious schools. If CPS blatantly refuses to implement full remote learning, at least offer parents a choice of whether they want to send their children back to infectious school buildings or the much safer choice of remote learning.  That’s only fair, and parents shouldn’t be subjected and strong armed to send their children back in a one size fits all situation. It is imperative that we work together collectively as a community and a nation to evoke change and acquire the necessary resources that are needed to protect our children. I thank you for your time, dedication and or support in this crucial matter.

 Happy New Year!