Your #AskChalkbeat questions, asked and answered, about Local School Council elections

Close up of a USPS mailbox next to a tree. Group of people standing at a crosswalk in the background.
Photo by Tareq Ismail on Unsplash (Tareq Ismail/Unsplash)

Delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and including a mail-in ballot option for the first time, Chicago’s Local School Council elections look different from past years. The elections — which take place this week — are happening during a year in which the councils received new authority to decide whether to retain campus police.

Residents have a lot of questions about how the elections will work this year and why the councils are important. Chalkbeat Chicago has created this guide with frequently asked questions and a lookup tool so you can find an election near you. We also solicited questions for a conversation on Twitter Tuesday with our reporter Yana Kunichoff, freelance reporter Kelly Garcia, and LSC members and candidates Wiley Johnson, Maria Khwaja and Trina Reynolds-Tyler.

Here’s what we learned.

The Latest

The $10 million child care pilot program is expected to create hundreds of new seats in high-need communities. The spending blueprint would also boost funding for preschoolers with disabilities.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious parents seeking the right to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ material. The decision will change how teachers approach inclusivity in their classrooms.

Tras las redadas migratorias de alto perfil, el Distrito Unificado de Los Ángeles aumentó las sedes para las escuelas de verano y ofreció transporte adicional para responder al temor de las familias de ser detenidas durante el trayecto.

District sees an opportunity for educators to write quiz questions, develop schedules, and write newsletters more efficiently.

While it’s not quite the ‘year-round school’ Mayor Cherelle Parker campaigned on, the initiative will offer before- and after-school programs and camp activities at 15 new schools.

Beyond High School: Pell Grant uncertainty