Chicago Public School parents’ last-ditch efforts to stop the shuttering of 49 public schools is being heard in a federal court this week. Two class-action lawsuits allege discrimination and violation of students’ civil rights. Here is an overview of the two cases:
Swan v. Byrd-Bennett (Case: 1:13-cv-03623)
Parents want the Chicago Board of Education to delay CPS closings for at least one school year. They say the closings are rushed and poorly timed, creating unfair burdens on children with disabilities and their schools.
Claims:
- CPS has not given parents or teachers a timely and orderly process for reviewing special education programs.
- The poor timing puts children with disabilities at a disadvantage and at greater risks, compared to children without disabilities.
- CPS closings cause emotional and learning setbacks for kids with disabilities because they don’t offer reasonable accommodations and transition time.
Highlight:
73. For the plaintiff children and their teachers and families, years of work to give a sense of inclusion will vanish as the children are rushed into new schools they do not know and with teachers and classmates they do not know.
74. The setbacks to the plaintiff children will be even greater if the process is rushed over a few summer months and without any specific plans or specific commitment of resources to help the plaintiff children make the transition.
McDaniel v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago (1:13-cv-03624):
Parents say CPS closures violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and Illinois Civil Rights Act by destabilizing children with special needs and unfairly targeting schools that serve black students and neighborhoods.
Claims:
- CPS closings disrupt the progress special needs children made in closing schools, while disrupting special education programs at receiving schools. The closings also jeopardize the safety of children whose disabilities put them at greater safety risks than their peers without disabilities.
- CPS closings criteria are supposed to be race-neutral, but have a disproportionate effect on poor, marginalized, black children. This continues a historic trend in Chicago school closures.
Highlight:
For the 72 schools that defendants have closed to date, African American children make up more than 90 percent of the displaced children; and in currently proposed closings, they make up roughly 88 percent of the displaced children. Yet African American children constitute only 42 percent of the children in the public schools…
The 53 elementary schools selected by the CEO for closing have a combined enrollment of 125 white students out of a total enrollment of 16,059 students – less than one percent
Want to attend the hearings? The Chicago Teachers Union has details.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and on Twitter @ChiTownRvw #CPSClosings
