KENWOOD — After months of complaints about cleanliness and maintenance issues at Kenwood Academy, students, parents and teachers are promised some relief from Chicago Public Schools.
Principal Gregory Jones said in a letter to parents Tuesday night that CPS committed to getting rid of mice and roaches that led to the school's two heath code violations in less than a week in March, and he said the district also will repair the broken heating and cooling system.
The announcement came Wednesday as students and parents planned to take their complaints about CPS and custodial contractor Aramark’s maintenance of the building at 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. to the Chicago Board of Education.
Amaya Lorick, an incoming senior and student council president, said she’s frequently seen mice in the choir room and elsewhere in the building.
She and other students said they frequently need to bring coats because the air conditioning appears to be on in some classrooms all year round, while other rooms stay uncomfortably hot regardless of the time of year.
“The third floor is crazy hot, and not everyone has the luxury of having a teacher with a fan,” Lorick said.
She said she’s upset because Kenwood is a top-performing school, and some students choose it over selective-enrollment schools because of its academic center and wide range of advanced placement classes. CPS is failing to provide the basics for the building’s upkeep, she said.
Ciara Evans, senior class president, accused CPS and Aramark custodians of not cleaning out the vents over the summer, which exacerbates problems with the heating and cooling system.
She said the issues with mice in classrooms and roaches in the locker rooms have only gotten worse since last year.
Health inspectors found mice droppings throughout the school, damaged ceilings and other issues on March 24 and again on March 31 during a follow-up inspection.
The report was a wake-up call to some parents, who have joined students in their complaints to CPS and the School Board.
Gordon Mayer said his son, who is a junior, came home complaining of conditions at the school and got concerned after talking to his teachers.
“Teachers in the school noticed there was leaking and some disgusting brown liquid was leaking from the ceiling,” Mayer said.
He blamed Aramark for failing to keep the school clean and CPS for not investing money to get the heating and cooling system working, even after the state paid for new chiller units.
An Aramark spokeswoman on Wednesday said their custodians are doing their job and the ongoing issues at the school are largely due to CPS management of pest control and building maintenance.
“Our top priority is to work with district staff to maintain a clean, safe and comfortable learning environment for all students, faculty and staff at Kenwood High School,” said Karen Cutler, a spokeswoman for Aramark.
She said Aramark has kept the same custodial staff that has worked at the building since before CPS turned over most custodial services to the company in 2014, and they have consistently met the cleanliness standards set.
A spokesman for CPS did not respond to requests for comment.
Jones said CPS facilities management took responsibility for many of the issues at the school during a Tuesday night meeting and promised to correct them.
He said CPS will repair the existing heating and cooling system and will clean out all of the vents.
Jones said CPS will increase pest control visits to once a month until the issues with mice are completely gone.
He said Aramark will also review its staffing at the school to determine if it needs to change how it cleans the school and has assigned a new custodial manager.
Parents and students still are expected to go to the School Board meeting to voice concerns about how long it has taken the issues to be resolved.
