Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates was criticized on social media for a comment she allegedly made at a recent union House of Delegates meeting comparing Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to a student with a specialized education program.
“Pedro is the terrible student in the classroom that can’t get suspended because he should have an IEP and maxed out his days,” Davis Gates allegedly said Wednesday night, using the abbreviation for individualized education program.
She did not respond to a request for comment from the Tribune. But she did apologize for the comment on X.
“That is a paraphrase of my misspeaking, something I immediately apologized for (I’m someone who takes accountability) in a larger conversation about Pedro’s position in the district,” she wrote.
Davis Gates has in recent weeks frequently criticized Martinez for slowing down teachers contract negotiations. That criticism ramped up in late December after a Cook County judge granted Martinez a temporary restraining order against school board members for the obstruction of his job duties. Afterward, she said the judge’s ruling slowed down their progress at the bargaining table.
The union president’s comparison of Martinez to a student with disabilities who can’t get suspended was framed in the context of that ongoing dispute.
Special education is chronically underfunded in CPS, and Davis Gates on behalf of the union has consistently advocated for children with disabilities in her time as CTU president. In the current teachers contract proposal, there are asks for special education professional development and giving more voice to individualized education program team members — instead of district representatives.
The teachers union reported over 265 special education job vacancies in CPS as of Sept. 9. Those vacancies give CTU’s requests for special education support more urgency, the union said.
“Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez claims that the district has improved resources for our students by allocating new positions, but the reality is that many of these positions exist on paper only,” CTU wrote on its online “Underfunded & Understaffed” tracker.
But as the Tribune reported last month, CTU is also currently at odds with Service Employees International Union 73, the union representing special education classroom assistants, over special education jobs. The teachers union has proposed contract language to CPS that SEIU fears would allow classroom assistants, who are represented by CTU, to take over some of the special education classroom aides’ jobs.
Special education classroom assistants say CTU’s proposals would lead to a “watered-down” version of their job and worse outcomes for students with disabilities.
To Terri Smith, a parent of a disabled child and special education advocate in Chicago for 15 years, Davis Gates’ comment — following the clash with SEIU 73 — demonstrates that the teachers union president is “not concerned with kids with special needs.”
“Nobody says something like that, by mistake. You would only say it if you’re an ableist person,” Smith said.
Other advocates for students with disabilities also called Davis Gates’ comments discouraging.
“IEPs play an important role in ensuring access to equitable education for all students. Singling out students with IEPs this way can perpetuate harmful inaccurate stereotypes of students with disabilities,” said Frank Lally, education policy analyst at Access Living.
“I understand that Davis Gates has apologized for the comment and certainly hope that her comment does not reflect her actual view of students with disabilities. CTU members, especially Special Education teachers, are often our students’ greatest champions.”
Celeste O’Connor, a parent of a CPS high school junior with disabilities said she is pro-union and pro-teacher. She said her daughter has been fortunate to have had amazing special education teachers, including her current team.
“But it’s painful when you see that publicly by the leader of CTU,” O’Connor said. “(Davis Gates) touched on the fear that many parents have that that’s how teachers truly feel about their students with disabilities. … To me, impact is more important than intent. Impact here was pretty strong.”
When Laurie Viets’ phone lit up with the news of Davis Gates’ comments in the grocery store Friday morning, she said her jaw dropped. Viets has two CPS students with IEPs and one with a 504 plan. She said she’s been on picket lines with the union.
“I have been a supporter of (Davis Gates) for so long, but the more that this comes out, this comment today…” she said. “It was hate speech. It was so absolutely ludicrous.”
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