North Cook News

A teacher at a Wilmette Catholic school was terminated after she expressed concern about in-person teaching as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the nation.

Elaine Sage said her teaching contract with St. Francis Xavier School was ended on Aug. 19 after she said she was reluctant to return to the classroom and asked for a remote assignment. Sage, 63, said that because of her age, and since her husband is a cancer survivor, she thought the risk was too great.

The school has an early childhood program and teaches students in elementary and middle-school classes. Its enrollment is around 475.

Elaine Sage | http://www.sfx-school.org/

There have been more than 220,000 COVID-19 cases in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, and a total of 8,107 people have died in the state because of the coronavirus.

More than half the cases, topping 121,000, have been in Cook County, which also has experienced the majority of deaths. There have been more than 5,000 fatalities in Cook County while more than 450 deaths have occurred in neighboring Lake County, which has reported 13,808 cases overall.

Sage, who could not be reached for comment, received a letter from the school on Aug. 19 stating that there wasn’t a remote position for her, and she was being released from her contract. She had sent the school numerous emails expressing her worries, and had not shown up Aug. 17, the first day teachers were to report.

In-person classes are set to start on Aug. 31.

Sage, a literacy specialist and math teacher, had taught at the school for 14 years. She told the district she was willing to work remotely, but in the letter terminating her contract, she was told there are a limited number of remote teaching positions available because most students plan to return to school.

“It’s something I was born to do and they’re taking it away from me,” she told WGN-TV. “It’s really sad because its supposedly Christian and this is how they treat their employees. It’s reckless and I’m afraid for the other teachers.” 

A call to St. Francis Xavier School on Aug. 21 seeking comment ended abruptly.

“We have nothing to report right now,” said a woman who answered the phone. “Thank you.”

Emails to principal Colleen Barrett and Father Wayne F. Watts, pastor of St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier parishes, were not returned.

Sage is not alone in her concern as about 70,000 students will be enrolled at approximately 200 Catholic schools in Lake and Cook counties. Numerous teachers, including some belonging to a new group called Arch Teachers for a Safe Return, have expressed their reluctance to return to classrooms.

They are asking for remote learning, as well as a louder voice in determining when it is safe to resume in-person instruction. Some Catholic school teachers told CBS2 Chicago that they had serious reservations about returning to the classroom, with one saying the instructors were “terrified” at working during the pandemic.

“It puts human life in jeopardy,” St. Francis Xavier teacher James Cahill, 31, told the Chicago media. “Infection numbers are rising. Must we wait for a further outbreak to take action? Now is the wrong time to gather hundreds of human beings into enclosed spaces.”

Arise Chicago, a faith-based organization that advocates for employees, trains and organizes low-wage immigrant workers and, according to its website, fights “workplace injustice through education, organizing and advocating for public policy changes,” took part in a media event with teachers. On its Twitter feed, Arise Chicago quoted teachers who were hesitant to head back to school and had spoken up to reporters on Aug. 20.

“I love my job but I care more about my students being alive than them being in class,” Cahill said.

Father Dominic Grassi, a writer, retired Catholic priest and member of the Arise Chicago board, advised caution and respect for the concerns of students and faculty.

“May decisions by the archdiocese be reconsidered and decisions to be made be done with utmost concern of teachers’ and students’ safety,” Grassi said.

A call and email to the Archdiocese of Chicago were not returned, but it did issue a statement on Aug. 20.

“The Archdiocese of Chicago created a reopening plan for its schools that places the health and safety of our students, teachers and employees above all else," the statement said. "It meets the strict Illinois Department of Public Health requirements and was developed with input from all of our stakeholders, including teachers as well as public health authorities and medical experts. As the school year progresses, we will continue to follow the guidance of authorities, monitor compliance with the plan and make adjustments accordingly.”