Jensen Elementary Mother Dies From COVID-19 After Daughter Exposed At School
CHICAGO (CBS) - Parents are demanding more information and more testing after learning two mothers of students at a Chicago Public School in Lawndale died last week from COVID-19.
The family of Shenitha Curry said her daughter was exposed to COVID at Jensen Elementary and gave it to her mother. Both got sick, but Curry died last week.
On a Go-Fund-Me page, her sister said contact tracers never got in touch with the family to check whether they had any symptoms.
Curry is one of two mothers of a Jensen student who died last week from COVID. Eleven of the 17 classrooms there had to quarantine because of the coronavirus.
Both women had children in the quarantined classrooms. Last week - there were two confirmed cases at Jensen with 32 close contacts identified. The week before, six confirmed cases with 173 close contacts.
Parents are upset about the lack of information and testing at the school.
"I'm scared to even send my son to school," said Kelvina Nance, mother of a Jensen student. "Get these test, get the temperature thing, clean the schools very daily, sanitize the school."
"We send our children here thinking that the, the principal, the mayor, everyone got these kids best interest in hand but they don't," said Tabitha Holbrook, grandmother of a Jensen student. "Do what you need to do. Send them home to remote learning, whatever necessary step you have to take. Take it."
The teacher's union said school families were failed.
A CPS spokesman said Lurie Children's Hospital staff was at the school today to do testing with grief counselors available for all students and staff. The district is encouraging everyone eligible to get a COVID vaccine.
So far this school year nearly 600 students in Chicago Public Schools have tested positive for COVID along with more than 200 adults.