Chicago GOP planning to sue Chicago Public Schools over organizing gun control walkout

When a school or even a single teacher organizes students for a political demonstration, it is child abuse. Even if participation is purportedly “voluntary,” an element of coercion is present, since the teacher grades the students.

The fact that the Chicago Public Schools endorsed the walkout of students to demand gun control measures in the wake of the Parkland massacre is outrageous. And the Chicago GOP is doing something about it. Dr. Susan Berry writes at Breitbart:

The Chicago Republican Party plans to file a lawsuit against the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) over its decision to organize students to participate in Wednesday’s student walkouts that promoted gun control.

“It’s appalling that 10 to 14-year-old kids would be coerced, by their teachers, to participate in a political demonstration,” said Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago GOP, in a statement. “A 10-year-old kid isn’t going to have an informed opinion on these political matters, and shouldn’t be expected to have the fortitude to hold a different opinion from everyone else in his or her classroom. This is political indoctrination, pure and simple.”

Here is the CPS policy on political protest that the GOP highlighted:

Political Activities

  1. 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. 

  2. At no time shall any Official or Employee intentionally misappropriate the services of any Employee by requiring that any Employee perform any Political Activity as:
    1. Part of that Employee’s duties; 

    2. A condition of employment; or 

    3. During any time-off that is compensated by the Board (such as vacation 
or personal time). 

  3. No Official or Employee shall require any Employee to participate in Political Activity in consideration for that Employee being awarded additional compensation or employee benefit such as a salary adjustment, bonus, compensatory time-off, or continued employment. 

  4. No Official or Employee shall award, and no Employee shall accept, any additional compensation or employee benefit such as a salary adjustment, bonus, compensatory time-off, or continued employment, in consideration for the Employee’s participation in Political Activity. 

  5. No Official or Employee shall use his or her official Board position to engage in Political Activity or endorse a Candidate for Elective Office. 

  6. No Official or Employee is permitted to use Board resources to perform any Political Activity.

Seems pretty clear.

I am not certain what kind of relief the courts could offer, but if justice were to prevail, those administrators who approved this policy should lose their jobs. The odds of justice prevailing are close to zero

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