In Chicago, the corporate reformers who claim to be leading “the civil rights movement of our time” are closing down schools in black communities. How this enhances the civil rights of the children is a mystery known only to the elites.
This is a news bulletin from the Chicago Teachers Union about tomorrow’s protest demonstration:
NEWS RELEASE
March 26, 2013
StephanieGadlin@ctulocal1.com
Secret Memo: CPS warns principals about possible civil disobedience in response to massive school closings
School officials asked to spy on demonstrators, take note of media
CHICAGO – The day before educators from the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) intend to join with parents, students, clergy, community leaders, civil rights activists and the rank-and-file members of SEIU Local 1 and Unite HERE Local 1; the union released a confidential memo sent to the city’s public school principals warning them of potential civil disobedience actions in protest of school closings. Mayor Rahm Emanuel will seek to shutter more than 50 neighborhood schools in the African American community by the end of this school year.
Thousands of parents, students, teachers, paraprofessionals and school clinicians attended various hearings across the city where they presented evidence that their schools were not being “underutilized” and begged for them not to be closed. Despite the outcry, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) chief executive listened instead to a politically-connected, ad-hoc commission she created and has since recommended 61 school actions, including the closings. Should the Board approve, this will be the largest closing of schools in a single school district in the nation’s history.
CPS’s announcement was met with shock, outrage, disbelief and defiance. While many of those impacted have vowed to fight until the end to save their neighborhood school from closure, others plan to rally downtown on Wednesday, March 27th, to illustrate their demand for education justice. People will gather at 4 p.m. at Daley Plaza where they will proceed to City Hall and to Board of Education headquarters.
Preparing for what could be the spark of 21st century Civil Rights Movement in Chicago, the school district recently instructed principals to prepare for the worst. “Be approachable and supportive to feelings of unrest, anxiety or dissatisfaction” the secret memo read. “Observe and report all information regarding possible protestors, locations, dates and times… Is the media present? Which news outlet(s)?”
The CTU obtained the memorandum from a source who has requested anonymity for fear of repercussions. “They’ve asked us to do a lot of things that I’m not happy with, but some of this is going too far,” the person said.
CTU President Karen Lewis, “Why are they asking principals to work as agents of this administration when they are the ones who have created a climate of chaos? Civil disobedience is a direct response to unjust policies and practices. We intend to use whatever nonviolence protest actions we have in this fight for education justice.
“The bottom line is the schools targeted for closure are based on the racial makeup of those schools and their zip codes,” Lewis said. “We will continue to plead our cause, fight in the courts and in the streets for what is right for our students and our communities. They can start with a moratorium on all school actions now.”
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The Chicago Teachers Union represents 30,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in the Chicago Public Schools, and by extension, the more than 400,000 students and families they serve. The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers and is the third largest teachers local in the United States and the largest local union in Illinois. For more information please visit CTU’s website at http://www.ctunet.com .
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Diane Ravitch's blog 
THIS SORT OF THING: coming to a district near you – http://www.scribd.com/doc/106337306/THE-CHICAGO-PUBLIC-SCHOOLS-ALLERGIC-TO-ACTIVISM
The Chicago Teachers Union is the best and only real protector of children, teachers and community now. Keep it up and do not take any more of Emmanuel’s dictatorial foolishness anymore. Remember he is only a puppet for the privatizer corporatists and if he crosses them he is out of a lifetime job. Fear is the game with them.
Unless I’m missing something, nowhere in that news release is the sender of the memo identified. That makes me doubt that it even exists.
Kevin,
Let’s see if the Chicago Public School district denies the existence of the memo. It appears that a principal leaked it to a union rep. For obvious reasons, the principal would not reveal his or her identity for fear of retaliation.
My greatest concern is the damage these closings will do to the students. And, I do NOT understand why these closings are happening in the middle of a school year.
There is absolutely no reason to be surprised that the behavior of the teachers, their words, and actions are going to be monitored. Depending on what their contract says, they may be looking for ways to dismiss as many as possible. Of course, I don’t know if their contract is in force or not at the moment. These things are always so difficult because there is no consensus.
As you know, Diane, I don’t agree with you, all the time. But, this is despicable. I have experienced this. In business and in EDU. Business, I understand. But it is especially painful in EDU.
It seems to me that these schools could not be targeted as “underperforming” if parents would keep their children from being tested in the first place. If parents were made aware of the underlying evil that standardized tests have become, as tools to close schools and fire teachers, perhaps we could shake the foundation of this type of movement.
Meg, you are SO right about opting out of testing. However, this time, they’re not closing the schools because they’re “under performing.” They’re closing the schools because they’re “underutilized.” And–if they can’t close the schools (which has been a plan for quite a while) on either of these two issues, they’ll find another excuse to close them.
“the union released a confidential memo sent to the city’s public school principals warning them of potential civil disobedience actions in protest of school closings.”
The union “released” the memo? So where is it?
flerper: It doesn’t seem to be here, but you can find it on the “CPS Connect” blog. Indeed, the memo DOES exist!
From WBEZ.org: “Why are they asking principals to work as agents of this administration when they are the ones who have created a climate of chaos?” CTU president Karen Lewis said in a written statement Tuesday. “We intend to use whatever nonviolence protest actions we have in this fight for education justice.”
CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll also issued a statement regarding the memo to principals.
“It’s our obligation to put the safety and learning of our children before anything else,” Carroll said. “This is why we’re providing guidance to principals to help them manage any acts of civil disobedience at their schools: so they can ensure that their children are in a safe environment with little disruption to their learning, and at the same time allow individuals the right to protest and express their views.”
We need to connect this to Obama and Duncan so that it resonates with all U S citizens. Essentially, we are all Chicagoans.
Weingarten needs to resign and be replaced by Karen Lewis.
“See, it’s no in between: you’re either free or you’re a slave.”
-H. Rap Brown
I wish our brother and sister teachers in Chicago, strength, courage and fearlessness
KICK EMMANUEL’S @$$ !!
Thanks for your support & understanding. I believe we will do our best to carry through.
Whose schools? OUR SCHOOLS!!!
A copy of the memo can be found at the following site
http://cps299.wordpress.com/
I wish I could be there with them tomorrow! We need our community schools now more than ever. They must be fully funded and staffed to meet the needs of all students. I hope tomorrow’s rally sparks other communities to stand up and fight for their schools all across the nation.
Well, it was in Chicago where the Cook County state’s attorney in coordination with the CPD and FBI assassinated two young black males on December 4th, 1969.
One bullet out, 90 into the apartment.
http://goo.gl/BDUBp
The principals are being asked to be supportive while at the same time they too will be losing their jobs?????????Outrageous!
Protesters have the right to protest. Spying is Criminal and the person(s) that wrote this memo should be fired immediately!!
Here’s to Chicago students and their communities who will use their First Amendment rights to speak up today. In DC we will be filing a Title 6 lawsuit under the Civil Rights Act. Listen to the voices of students- a 2nd and 3rd grader at Thurgood Marshall elementary school in DC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyR-WzabO9A