The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has come under fire for encouraging and possibly busing students to attend an upcoming political rally during school hours.
On Monday, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter sent out a notice for students of voting age about an upcoming rally to lead up to casting their first vote for the Illinois primary.
"On March 15, Chicago Teachers Union is partnering with Chicago Votes, La Casa Norte, and Bring Chicago Home to throw the biggest celebration of youth participating in democracy Chicago has seen in years. On the morning of March 15, students will gather at CTU Headquarters & hear from candidates/political organizers, collaborate with young voters from other schools, & participate in engaging events including art, music, and dance," Potter wrote.
He added, "The event will culminate with a Parade to the Polls, where students will march to an early voting site—celebrating voting in their first election & making their voices heard along the way!"
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The message noted that Chicago Votes "has graciously offered to assist us [and] provide transportation to & from the event."
After Potter’s note went out, the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, filed an ethics complaint, accusing the union of violating the Chicago Public Schools Code of Ethics.
"Per the CPS Code of Ethics, ‘Employees are permitted to engage in Political Activity on a voluntary basis during non-work hours, vacation, or personal time. Employees are not permitted to engage in Political Activity during any other Board compensated time.’ Political activity is defined as: ‘Preparing for, organizing, or participating in any political meeting, political rally, political demonstration, or other political event,’" the complaint read.
It continued, "By asking teachers to prepare for and organize students to participate in the Student Power Forum, which is occurring during school hours and organized in part by a political campaign (Bring Chicago Home), it is clear the union is asking its members to violate the CPS Code of Ethics and possibly other state or city provisions. We request your prompt attention to this matter."
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, the CTU attacked the Illinois Policy Institute as a "the right-wing Rauner-funded think tank" that "attacks student civic engagement" and insisted that the event is a "nonpartisan voter education forum."
The statement read, "As public school educators, our members — especially civics and government teachers — have an obligation to provide students with an understanding of the democratic process and opportunities to participate in it. Ironically, this nonpartisan event is being targeted by Donald Trump-supporting, Bruce Rauner-funded spreaders of misinformation. As we are witnessing both locally and nationally, a lack of voter literacy regarding the electoral process has led to misinformation, creeping nationalistic fascism, and the harassment of women, people of color, and LGBTQIA people."
While Chicago Votes is a nonpartisan organization, the Illinois Policy Institute remarked that Bring Chicago Home is a policy advocacy organization that is campaigning on behalf of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s real estate transfer tax increase referendum.
Johnson has also previously been endorsed by the CTU.
Chicago Public Schools later released a statement confirming that it had shared its concerns with the CTU and revealed that the union had removed Bring Chicago Home from the event.
"Chicago Public Schools (CPS) encourages student civic engagement with the electoral process through our nonpartisan election and civic engagement curriculum. We do not endorse specific campaigns or advocate for specific election results. CPS has shared with the CTU our concerns that the March 15 event be non-partisan and that it must comply with our ethics policy. The CTU has assured us that they will adhere to our policies and procedures, including our ethics policy," the statement read.
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In a comment to Fox News Digital, Mailee Smith, senior director of labor policy and staff attorney at Illinois Policy, continued to label the event "partisan" and "political" and urged Chicago Public Schools to take greater action.
"It is ever clear this referendum was always about more power for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union. CTU is a partisan political machine and this is a partisan political event. Chicago Public Schools should denounce it entirely. This initiative will become just another slush fund for Chicago's biggest political machine to wield for personal gain, and we hope Chicagoans see through it," Smith said.
