The mother of a Chicago Public Schools student at Jensen Elementary has passed away after battling COVID-19, according to her family, while hundreds of students, including her own, were ordered to quarantine because they were exposed to several confirmed cases of the virus at the school.
The district, which has faced criticism from the Chicago Teachers Union and some parents over its safety plan as it reopens full-time this fall, has claimed since the start of the pandemic that there has been little, if any, in-school transmission of the virus, and again Monday denied finding any evidence that the eight cases at Jensen were passed on to others in the building or at home.
Before she died late last week, Shenitha Angel Curry said she was frustrated and angry with the school systems COVID-19 protocols, particularly the contract tracing program which she said never reached her for an interview. Currys sister said Monday that Curry, who was unvaccinated, told her in her final days that she was sure her illness stemmed from the school. Currys 44th birthday would have been later this week.
