Distributing & requiring free N95 masks (KF-94 masks for small children) will protect hundreds of thousands of CPS students, teachers, staff and their families from serious COVID infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, Long COVID and death due to Omicron (and future, more contagious subvariants which severity could be worse).

We, the undersigned, Demand that Mayor Lori Lightfoot & CPS CEO Pedro Martinez immediately:

1. Distribute new N95 masks (KF-94 for small children) every week to all CPS students, staff, teachers & volunteers; and
2. Require N95 or KF-94 masks to be worn by everyone in every CPS school.

Background:

• Beginning August 22, 2022, 3,500 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students & staff were infected with COVID in the first 13 days of the 2022-2023 school year, which is TRIPLE that of the first week and that of last year;
• In the U.S., just last month there were 4 million COVID cases, 40,000 people in hospitals each day, 15,000 deaths, and 800,000 cases of Long COVID, which can last 18 MONTHS;
• Chicago & Cook County have been at the HIGH CDC community transmission level (Red) since our most recent surge in May 2022;
• Chicago cumulative data: 689,000 reported infections, 46,629 hospitalizations and 7,840 reported deaths. 1,370 0-17 year olds have been hospitalized. Last month, a total of 565 Black, 237 Latino, 310 White and 25 Asians were hospitalized. Every day, 16.29 Black, 6.14 Latino and 9.14 White Chicagoans are in the hospital. Long COVID numbers in children are estimated to be 10%; and
• On August 26, 2022 a Judge ruled that Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s CPS leadership team violated state law by lifting the school district’s required mask policy in March, 2022.

Videos from PRN’s March 10, 2022 Press Conference: 

Chinella Miller (Press Conference and Protest: Protect Our Children: Keep CPS Mask Mandate!) #MaskUp https://youtu.be/2L0HFYBOd1g

Leigh Mabry White, CPS Parent of Autistic Child, Demands Covid Safety for High Needs Children https://youtu.be/S4c1cdcWQF4

25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez Urges the Vote on "Take the Vaccine to the People" Ordinance https://youtu.be/82XIQltNvNk

The late Mayor Harold Washington’s Former Chicago Department of Health Assistant Commissioner Dr. Howard Ehrman, MPH-Press Conference and Protest: Protect Our Children: Keep CPS Mask Mandate! #MaskUp https://youtu.be/rxb_NHEkAUQ

Sources:

COVID-19 Data for SY22-23 https://www.cps.edu/services-and-supports/covid-19-resources/covid-19-readiness-data/

CPS COVID cases triple by Monica Eng https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/08/30/cps-covid-cases-triple

COVID-19 Integrated County View https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&null=

Tracking U.S. covid-19 cases, deaths and other metrics by state https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/?itid=hp_pandemic_gfx/&state=US

Chicago COVID-19 Dashboard: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/covid-dashboard.html

Chicago COVID-19 Wastewater: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AfH_nHLHCL8j7oMuO8fPNNdMjMNKG7uW7I19SfjPOgE/edit

Victories: Labor Board rules for CTU and millions disbursed for sports programs https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/victories-labor-board-rules-for-ctu-and-millions-disbursed-for-sports-programs/

Peoples Response Network (PRN)

Zoom Meetings Wednesdays @ 6 pm CT:

https://bit.ly/PRNCovidMtg

prncoalition@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/The-Peoples-Response-Network-to-Covid-19-100425635366279

lnstagram: @peoplesresponsechi

Twitter: @ThePeoplesResp3 

Youtube: People's Response Network