A plan approved in May is set to take effect soon, forcing high school seniors to either be enlisted in the military, have a job, be enrolled in a gap-year program, or have a college acceptance letter before the Chicago public schooling system will give them their diploma. The obvious consequences of this new policy are problematic. Still, Emanuel doesn't seem to care.

In the scenario Chicago's mayor envisions, students from the poorest areas of the city, where many parents are often absent due to their work schedules, problems with the law, or other issues, children nearing the end of their senior year will have to head to a counselor's office for advice on which path to take if they want to obtain their high school diplomas. Unfortunately, in many of the schools in those areas, counselors often work with 400 students at a time. With few resources to offer sound advice, these students will be forced to do whatever seems easier, less complicated, and perhaps less burdensome in order to meet the new requirements. As such, many will enlist in the military while others will head to already crowded city colleges. The other obvious consequence of this policy is that many students will simply postpone graduating or completely give up on it.