Pedro Martinez, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, says city and community leaders have a lot to do to protect children from violence and strengthen mental health resources for the new school year. said.

Schools and educators can play a role in physical safety and emotional support, but it’s up to the city and its partners to expand capacity so CPS isn’t left to do it all, Martinez said. told those who attended a luncheon at Chicago’s City Club on Wednesday. First appearance as school principal.

“It’s not just a CPS issue, it’s a citywide initiative,” says Martinez. “Our students say they feel safe at school but struggle to feel safe in the community.”

He said the district is working with parks, libraries and other city officials to get creative about student safety. For example, even when Chicago’s Park District is programming, some kids say they’re afraid to walk to the park alone, Martinez said. In that case, CPS deployed Safe Her Passage her workers who stand along school routes in the mornings and afternoons to take the children to the park.

On mental health issues, Martinez said the district is working to hire more counselors and social workers while training teachers in dealing with trauma. He said educators cannot be the only ones responsible for resolving this crisis because of the crisis.

Martinez thanked outside organizations and hospitals for helping to talk to students to identify and refer people who could use support, but not always capable of actually helping those children. said.

“We have to build what we refer to [students] to,” Martinez said. “We need emergency services.

Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel controversially closed half of the city’s public mental health clinics to save money. Instead, it seeks to increase the capacity of its remaining clinics and provide subsidies to private providers of services.

Martinez also used the City Club speech to preview what he declared to be “the strongest year yet” with an academic focus.

He said the school district has learned from the pandemic and could be stronger in some ways, including providing access to computers and the internet for all students. Academic recovery appeared to improve towards the end of last year, with rates returning to pre-COVID rates, he said, also offering $1.5 billion in scholarships for the 2022 graduating class. advertised. .

Martínez has made plans to include reinvesting in neighborhood schools, revisiting the high school admissions process, expanding bilingual programs, creating stronger career and technical education options, and focusing on early literacy. He presented a broad perspective of his three-year vision for the school district.

“This is an exciting time to be at CPS,” he said. “And we are confident that this excitement will grow even more in the years to come.”