Across Chicago Public Schools, nearly 25,000 high school students — or a quarter of all high schoolers — missed at least 35 days last year, according to CPS data. And yet, Chicago Public Schools’ graduation rate has continued to inch up — from 81 percent in 2019 to 85 percent in 2024.

Ishan Daya ran for political office in 2023 but withdrew from that race after video came to light showing him removing a poster of an Israeli hostage held by Hamas. His mayoral appointment to the Chicago Fiscal Sustainability Working Group, though short-lived, drew outrage from Chicago’s only Jewish alderperson, Debra Silverstein.