Letter to CPS
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
Hello Mr. Martinez, Ms. Bawden, and the new CPS leadership team; Happy 2022.
For most of this 2021 school year, CPS parents were overloaded by COVID-19 emails. We continue to receive them from CPS as well as from our individual schools, doubling their regular presence in our email box. But, somehow we did not receive any emails regarding the decision to make gender neutral bathrooms… Up until now, the CPS message regarding COVID-19 has never included ways to actively become healthier — which is a huge missing component of this ongoing narrative. Now that the calendar has turned to 2022 and the kids are finally back in school, it’s time for a more complete message and I would like to help become a rational voice of proactive health.
Since 2003, I have been a personal trainer/strength coach and a major proponent for healthy lifestyles. I am the sole proprietor of BKSTRENGTH; part of the leadership council at On Your Mark Coaching and Training; and a Nike trainer. I have clients of all ages but recently shifted my focus to more youth development, primarily for high school athletes. This past school year I have worked with Chicago Elite Volleyball, Beat The Streets Chicago Wrestling, Tohkon Judo Academy, as well as individual athletes throughout Chicagoland. I have also partnered with Despite The Dark, Wellness4Every1, and the Wood Family Foundation to create training opportunities for kids of all ages and backgrounds. (In early March 2020, I even hosted a field trip for the Galileo Scholastic Academy 8th graders to come train at OYM.) Helping people perform better is my passion, just as I’m sure that educating children is yours.
I recognize that CPS’s COVID-19 information is just being regurgitated from the CDC; no one locally is coming up with their own message. But, there are major areas to improve in this communication and small changes will make big differences. All of CPS’s emails include the following commentary:
As a reminder, we can slow the spread of COVID-19 as a CPS school community by getting vaccinated, social distancing whenever possible, wearing masks in public, washing our hands thoroughly, and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
Let’s break down the above paragraph. Hand-washing and avoiding sick people are normal, common sense behaviors — I agree that these are necessary, regardless of the COVID-19 circumstances. Social distancing is very doable in rural communities, but less realistic in Chicago. Besides, recommending that people distance themselves from their friends and family defies our basic human need for connection and togetherness. The other suggestions regarding masks and vaccinations as ways to slow the spread are debatable, since we’re 22 months into a pandemic and still battling the same circumstances with the same strategies. A crucial piece to the CDC puzzle remains missing.
The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19, influenza, or any virus is to have a strong immune system. Many of my colleagues would agree. A strong immune system is built through healthy lifestyle habits consisting of daily exercise, good nutrition, maintaining a lean body weight, and mindfulness/stress-relief tactics. One of the key reasons for this endless pandemic is because America does not prioritize its health, as evidenced by our surging obesity rates.
Your CDC-imposed recommendations of mask-wearing and vaccinations do not strengthen the immune system or improve health. In addition, masks make it harder to breathe. Impaired breathing leads to respiratory dysfunction; respiratory dysfunction leads to a weakened immune system; a weakened immune system leads to sickness and disease. Forcing children to wear masks all day (even outside?!?) worsens their breathing, which worsens their health. Experimental vaccines and boosters have also been proven to trigger myocarditis, especially in young boys, so all of the CDC’s major solutions have potentially horrific consequences.
Where is the emphasis on strengthening the immune system naturally, without pharmaceutical drugs or masks? Children are generally quite resilient and already possess strong immunity, so reinforcing common sense ideals should be an easy addition. Knowing that severe COVID-19 primarily impacts vulnerable populations like the elderly and those with co-morbidities such as obesity, encouraging healthy lifestyles should be CPS’s top priority. Most co-morbidities can be avoided through our personal choices; if we start teaching healthy lifestyles in elementary school, then students can continue to build upon a strong health foundation and inspire their families to do the same.
Instead, children have been conditioned to live in fear. They aren’t allowed to talk with their friends during lunch. They haven’t seen anyone smile in three years. Classroom rules reinforce “mask police” policies. Children are the least impacted COVID-19 demographic; we have to fight harder to instill normalcy at school!
The number one killer in 2020 was cardiovascular disease, not COVID-19 (as the media would have you believe). Cardiovascular disease continues to rack up a tremendous annual body count, but can also be managed through lifestyle factors such as exercise and nutrition. A giant predictor of cardiovascular disease is someone’s body fat percentage. The higher the body fat, the higher the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. Sadly, 74% of Americans are overweight and 42% are obese — leading to poor health and severely weakened immune systems. Now, the childhood obesity rates are skyrocketing at a similar clip, mimicking adult statistics. Our health care system has always focused on the affect and not the cause, further proving the point that preventative medicine is the best medicine. This pandemic has reinforced a fear-based narrative that has encouraged sedentary lifestyles — leading to worse overall health. Poor mental health, feelings of loneliness, and a loss of purpose are just some of the problems that will not be eliminated by a vaccine or show up on a COVID-19 test.
So, instead of teachers asking for the vaccinated second grade students to raise their hands — which encourages discrimination, exclusion, and bullying — I propose that CPS promote healthy habits within their classrooms and mass emails. This should have happened on Day One, but it definitely needs to happen now! If parents are to sincerely believe that the health and safety of their children is a priority, then there needs to be a different message. CPS can become America’s first major school district to advocate positive physical and mental health through measurable, real-time actions. I will volunteer my expertise to kickoff the conversation. Together, we can inspire CPS families to strengthen their immune systems, promote healthier lifestyles, live without fear, and end this pandemic. For example, it could read like this:
As a reminder, we can slow the spread of COVID-19 as a CPS community by committing to strengthening our immune systems. Let’s hold each other accountable by mandating 60 minutes of daily exercise, reducing our consumption of processed foods, increasing our consumption of fruits and vegetables, staying adequately hydrated, monitoring and decreasing our sedentary screen time, and encouraging positive stress-reduction techniques.
It’s unrealistic to think that all CPS families can afford Whole Foods organic groceries; I understand there is economic disparity. I also understand that many students live in neighborhoods with high crime and violence, making it difficult to play outside. But, we must find ways to improve in the above-listed categories — there is always something that we can do better! We must prioritize our health and inspire others to do the same. Let’s promote a new, proactive message. I am available to help CPS immediately and have a plan. Together, we can end this pandemic.
Best,
Brian Kent