WBEZ Presents: Finding Dr. Fong

The dreaded high school swim class.
The dreaded high school swim class. Linda Lutton/WBEZ
The dreaded high school swim class.
The dreaded high school swim class. Linda Lutton/WBEZ

WBEZ Presents: Finding Dr. Fong

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This story starts with a memo — one that went home with ninth graders at a Chicago-area high school. It outlines what kids need for swim class. Bring a suit. Bring a towel. Nose plug optional.

And then, at the very bottom, in a long section about being “medically excused” from swimming, the memo says this, in bold: 

“Only notes from a medical doctor other than Dr. Fong will be accepted.” 

Students need a note from a medical doctor — any doctor but Dr. Fong — in order to be excused from swim class. (Linda Lutton/WBEZ)

Who is Dr. Fong? And why has his medical advice been deemed unacceptable?

WBEZ’s Linda Lutton tracked down the gym teacher who wrote the memo — and traversed Chicago for Dr. Fong — to find out.

This episode of WBEZ Presents is a special rebroadcast of a December 2015 story by WBEZ’s Linda Lutton.

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