More than two dozen Chicago Public Schools parents and community members gathered outside a Pilsen elementary school Monday morning, voicing concerns over the district’s decision to hold a day of civic engagement on May 1.
While classes will remain in session, CPS reached an agreement last week to provide transportation to students who chose to participate in an afternoon rally, and to allow teachers to implement a curriculum on civic engagement.
CPS to remain open May 1, but agreement allows staff and students to attend rallies
For weeks, the Chicago Teachers Union had been pushing for May 1 to be designated as a teacher-directed professional development day — joining a national action for “no school, no work, no shopping.” After opposition from CPS leadership, last week’s deal was seen as a compromise.
But some parents are pushing back.
Judy Velez, a CPS parent with a daughter in second grade, said there was a “need for transparency” in the decision-making process and in what could be included in the civic engagement curriculum.
“This isn’t civics, this is indoctrination,” Velez said, adding she would consider keeping her daughter home from school if she disagrees with any content being taught that day.
When asked by the Tribune, Velez did not point to any particular curriculum content that concerned her, but rather a lack of clarity on what that content could be.
The news conference, held at Cooper Dual Language Academy, was organized by the Urban Center, a pro-school choice, centrist organizing group. The nonprofit is run by Juan Rangel, the former CEO of the UNO Charter School Network, and is affiliated with Paul Vallas, a former CPS CEO who lost the 2023 Chicago mayoral race to Mayor Brandon Johnson. Both Rangel and Vallas are vocal critics of the teachers union.
A CPS spokesperson said in a statement Monday that schools are not required to implement lesson plans or civic engagement activities on May 1. Any instructional activities must align with district-approved requirements and the state’s learning standards.
“School participation in any civic engagement activities is at the discretion of the school principal and individual student or staff participation is entirely voluntary,” the spokesperson said.
As of Friday, no schools have requested transportation for civic engagement activities, the spokesperson added.
Velez, who is also a member of the Local School Council at Mary Lyon Elementary School in Belmont Cragin, said she plans to attend the Chicago Board of Education meeting Thursday, where she hopes to gain clarity on whether any curriculum changes geared toward May Day will occur.
“We demand a return to core education in reading, writing, math, science and the skills our children need to succeed in life,” Velez said. “Right now the system is failing too many students.”
A group of CPS parents, including Velez, retained attorney William Quinlan of Quinlan Law Firm LLC to advise them on their rights and to explore potential legal action.
Quinlan represents former district CEO Pedro Martinez, who was fired without cause in December 2024, in an ongoing lawsuit against several current and former board members. The group is not taking any concrete legal steps until they hear more about what May 1 will look like in classrooms during this Thursday’s board meeting, Quinlan said in the news conference.
“The most overused, improperly used phrase of education is ‘It’s all about the kids,” Quinlan told the Tribune. “What is clear from this compromise is that it’s not about the kids.”
Miguel Chacon, a father of three CPS students, takes particular issue with the idea that students could miss time in the classroom by choosing to participate in the afternoon rally.
“My 15-year-old was excited about having a half day off, and I said, ‘No, no, I don’t think that’s what we’re going to do,’” Chacon told the Tribune after the news conference, adding that he was frustrated with the lack of logistical clarity from CPS.
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Though he agrees civic engagement is generally a good thing, Chacon said he objects to CTU-related events because of the union’s “refined political ideology,” which he said prioritizes teachers’ personal priorities over students’ well-being.
“I think we should all be outraged by what’s happening in the White House, but this isn’t the time or the place to be doing it,” Chacon said.
May 1 is known as International Workers’ Day, a holiday with deep ties to the progressive labor movement. Planned nationwide demonstrations aim to protest federal policies under the Trump administration and advocate for causes such as immigrant and labor rights.
“The building block of a public school education is this idea of community and the institutions that help to anchor and fortify it,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said at a news conference earlier this month. “So on May Day … we’re going to teach people how to create community, because that is the example and the amplification and the illustration of solidarity.”
