Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates is coming under fire for comparing CEO Pedro Martinez to a special education student who can’t be suspended at a meeting before hundreds of elected members on Wednesday.
She apologized at the meeting, soon after she made the comment.
CTU delegates at the members-only meeting told WBEZ that Davis Gates was talking about her frustration with contract negotiations that the union says have stalled since Martinez was given a six-month notice of termination by the Board of Education in late December. There are slightly different accounts online of her comment, but two delegates interviewed by WBEZ said she disparaged Martinez by calling him a student with disabilities who couldn’t be suspended because of policy limitations.
In a statement, Chicago Public Schools officials said, “CEO Martinez is disappointed to learn about this remark but he trusts that it does not reflect the sentiments or stance of our hard working and professional teachers.”
The delegates who spoke to WBEZ said when Davis Gates was done speaking, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter spoke with her and she immediately went back to the stage to apologize.
“I regretted the way I tried to get my point across and immediately apologized,” Gates said in a statement to WBEZ. “I’ll absolutely do better but more importantly I and my union will continue to fight for CPS to do better for our students.”
Some special education advocates and parents called her comment “appalling” and “heartbreaking.” One special education teacher, who was at the meeting but did not want to be identified, told WBEZ it displayed an alarming lack of understanding about special education. Students with disabilities disproportionately are suspended and subject to exclusionary discipline. CPS special education students can be suspended for no more than 10 days without a hearing.
But another teacher, who also asked for anonymity, said: “I feel like she authentically apologized. She did not mean to insult any child. Like anyone else, she should have chosen better words, saying what came to mind, instead of strategically thinking.”
Davis Gates said the union has strongly advocated for more teachers and supports for students with disabilities and that her record stands in contrast to her off-the-cuff remark.
“We’ve been ringing the alarm on how CPS cannot possibly be providing the supports and resources students deserve because it overburdens and understaffs special education faculty and staff positions,” she said in a statement. “CPS continues to deny children support by leaving hundreds of positions vacant."
