Chicago Public Schools teachers who participated in General Iron protests with students given warnin -

CHICAGO (WLS) — Two Chicago Public School teachers will keep their jobs after facing possible termination for protesting the move of a scrapyard to the Southeast Side.

The Board of Education voted Wednesday to reject the district’s recommendation to fire two George Washington High School teachers after they took part in protests and were joined by their students. They were given a warning instead.

The teachers were protesting the move of scrapyard company General Iron from Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side, a planned move that was rejected.

CPS officials argued the teachers violated several transportation and school credit policies in their efforts to teach kids about the issues.

RELATED: General Iron Chicago: Activists claim victory after scrapyard’s move to Southeast Side halted

But the teachers claim this is retaliation for their stance against the city.

“How can CPS say that they want the curriculum to be relevant to students, that they want teachers to support students to become civically engaged to participate in democracy and become self-advocates for themselves and their community when this is how CPS responds,” CPS teacher Lauren Bianchi said.

CPS also said an investigation found the teachers failed to follow the district’s ethics code and volunteer policy.

In a statement, a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said:

“Chicago Public Schools (CPS) recognizes that schools are often the first civic institutions students experience as community members, and it is critically important that our educators demonstrate the highest ethical and institutional standards while fostering civic engagement and a shared purpose in our school communities. Our students deserve no less, especially as they develop their passion and voice around causes that inspire them to become actively involved in a democratic society.

“The actions of two probationary teachers at George Washington High School exhibited disregard of CPS safety rules and procedures and repeated instances of poor judgment and bias in their instructional roles and in their faculty advisor roles. An investigation uncovered several significant policy violations by the teachers, including violation of safety policies concerning the transportation of students. Consequently, the Board of Education will consider at tomorrow’s board meeting whether their employment should continue.”

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