Chicago City Wire

The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools is under fire for allegedly being prioritized for vaccination while other residents in the South Side of Chicago have to wait longer.

The school where former President Barack Obama’s daughters, Sasha and Malia, used to go to is being criticized because their teachers union, the American Federation of Teachers, is getting first dibs on the COVID-19 vaccination.

What irked Chicago residents more is that even after the Lab Schools teachers received their vaccination they still opted to operate their university through virtual learning. Chicagoans are angry because they want their children to start going to school again.

Last week, dozens of  parents held a protest outside the Laboratory School, demanding in-person learning for older grades. A petition calling for resumption of in-person classes collected hundreds of parents' signatures.

It is a common dilemma across the nation that parents are eager to send their children back to school safely because having them take their lessons at home is ineffective, according to a lot of  families.

Some parents are doubly encumbered because they need to monitor their children while they are attending their classes virtually.

Parents feel the strain of having to monitor their kids at home when they need to attend to other things like work or looking for another source of income now that a lot of businesses have closed due to the pandemic.

So it is not surprising that a lot of Chicagoans are angry that the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools was prioritized for vaccination and yet they opted to keep their school closed.