Education
CPS Rebuffs Remote Learning Calls, Says School Remains ‘Best and Safest’ Place for Students Amid ICE and National Guard Fears
(WTTW News)
Chicago Public Schools says it does not intend to offer a remote learning option to students amid a possible deployment of National Guard troops, immigration strike teams or other armed military personnel into the city.
District officials have maintained that schools are the “best and safest place for children,” as concerns in Black and brown communities grow ahead of a potential troop deployment that could begin as soon as Friday.
“Our students are finalizing their third week of the school year, and our focus remains on teaching and learning,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement. “Schools are consistently following established procedures to welcome students, provide in-person instruction, and keep families informed of any updates. We remain committed to making sure every CPS school is a safe and supportive place for students each day.”
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates this week called on CPS to build up its remote learning infrastructure to allow students who may fear being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents an option to continue learning from home.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday said ICE strike teams are likely to hit Chicago’s streets late Friday or Saturday morning after gathering at Naval Station Great Lakes, which is about 35 miles outside of the city.
Unidentifiable agents in unmarked vehicles wearing masks will target Latino communities and say they’re targeting violent criminals by attempting to locate and detain undocumented immigrants, Pritzker said this week, as part of efforts designed to fulfill President Donald Trump’s promise to conduct the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”
The Trump administration may also send Texas National Guard troops to Chicago to assist the immigration enforcement efforts.
Teachers union members on Friday are distributing “defend your rights” materials to students and families at schools across the entire city. They were joined by Johnson, interim CPS CEO Macquline King and members of the Board of Education in a show of solidarity ahead of the possible deployment.
“What this president is doing is illegal and unconstitutional — quite frankly, it’s reprehensible,” Johnson said Friday morning outside Nash Elementary on the West Side. “As the city of Chicago, we’re going to stand firm in our values. We’re not gonna turn back the hands of time to a place in which federal troops and/or (the) National Guard prevents children from being educated.”
In Los Angeles, where the Trump administration has already deployed federal troops, the public school district has reported an uptick in the number of students opting for remote learning, which was already being offered.
CPS has maintained that its schools remain the safest place for children, and that in-person instruction provides the strongest foundation for learning. The district said it continuously monitors conditions and will reassess if needed, but its commitment is to keeping school doors open for students.
King wrote in a letter to students and families last week that she was “disappointed” that the looming deployment threat “is weighing so heavily on families at a time when we should be celebrating the return to the classroom.”
She reiterated that CPS does not ask students for their immigration status, nor will the district coordinate with federal representatives, including ICE agents, who are barred from entering CPS schools or facilities unless they have a criminal warrant signed by a federal judge.
“What I hope will make it easier is the knowledge that schools are the best and safest place for children,” she wrote. “In addition to the protections described above, our schools are filled with joy and positivity, and our sole focus is on providing students with the rich opportunities they need to grow as learners and as people.”
Heather Cherone contributed to this report.
