#Roommates, if you’re a student at a Chicago Public School, you may have to start getting your 4-year post-grad plan together now! The Mayor of Chicago has decided to become the first city to withhold high school diplomas if students don’t meet certain post-grad requirements.
According to Mic News, Chicago is becoming the first city to require students to have a job, college acceptance letter, gap-year program enrollment or military enlistment before receiving their diploma. However, some critics are skeptical of this new rule and how beneficial it will really be.
“It sounds good on paper, but the problem is that when you’ve cut the number of counselors in schools, when you’ve cut the kind of services that kids need, who is going to do this work?” said Karen Lewis, President of the Chicago Teachers Union. “If you’ve done the work to earn a diploma, then you should get a diploma. Because if you don’t, you are forcing kids into more poverty.”
But for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the main purpose for this new ban is to ensure students are thinking about their future and career plans.
“If you change expectations, it’s not hard for kids to adapt,” said Emanuel.”The policy was created in an effort to make sure students think beyond the four years of high school.”
#Roommates, what are your thoughts on this new ban? Is it fair?
