On Friday, community members near Kipling Elementary on the 9300 block of South Lowe Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood discovered a dumpster full of books thrown away by the Chicago Public School.
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According the CPS, the books were in poor condition and outdated but the community members disagreed.
In a statement, a CPS official said, “CPS is focused on ensuring students have access to age-appropriate, relevant reading materials that will enrich their academic experience.”
This is not the first time this has happened with CPS. Two years ago, the same thing happened at a CPS school in Bridgeport. CPS also responded that all of the recycled books were “outdated and no longer fit for classroom use.”
In 2016, a high school in Portage Park threw away hundreds of books that hadn’t been used in years. In 2011, a school principle at a middle school in Belmont-Cragin was caught throwing away school supplies in addition to books.
The City of Chicago has a recycling guide that offers organizations that accept donations, including both paperback and hardcover books.
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While these incidents may seem short-sighted on the side of CPS, who could have donated these books to another organization or library, they are hardly the only culprits of such an act.
Earlier this fall, a TV show that was filmed in and set in Chicago was under fire for throwing away food and supplies from the set of their grocery store in Lawndale, an area considered a food desert. The show said the food was expired and not safe to eat