Dear CTU family:
It’s been a long struggle, but CPS has at last released letters to educators and families outlining sanctuary rights for our immigrant students. We fought for and won these basic protections in our 2019 contract, but CPS has dragged to deploy them in the wake of the COVID pandemic and the usual bureaucratic inertia. We still need more staffing and resources. The supports outlined in CPS’ letters are a start.
Under the terms of our contract, the supports that CPS outlines — including substantial legal resources for immigrant families — must be available to staff, students and families. These supports provide a groundbreaking set of protections in a labor contract for educators of public school students.
You should have received an email on November 10 laying out basic sanctuary provisions, enshrined in Article 46 of our contract. That notice, along with a similar notice CPS sent to parents on Thursday, also includes a critically important list of community groups and support projects that can help immigrants. Please share them with your colleagues and families and encourage people to use these resources.
We also fought to ensure that this vital information was translated into a range of languages to best serve our immigrant children and families, and today families that speak Arabic. Chinese, Filipino, Polish, and Urdu can also access these resources.
We’re continuing to collect new winter coats, scarves and gloves for immigrant families and others in need at CTU Headquarters, 1901 W. Carroll, so please swing by with any donations.
CTU members on the CTU/CPS Joint Bilingual Education Committee worked tirelessly to push CPS to widely promulgate our sanctuary protections — and ensure they’re supported in our schools. The District has taken that step — thanks to our persistence, and the persistence of our members who want to ensure our students and families have the support they need.
Share and use this resource list to support your immigrant families:
- Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
- 228 S. Wabash, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60604 – 312-332-7360
- https://www.icirr.org/
- Centro Romero
- 6216 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60660 – Phone: 773-508-5399
- https://centroromero.org/
- Communities United
- 4749 N. Kedzie Ave., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60625 – Phone: 773-583-1387
- www.communitiesunited.org
- Instituto del Progreso Latino
- 2520 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60608 – Phone: 773- 890-0055
- www.institutochicago.org
- Mujeres Latinas en Accion
- 2124 W. 21st Place Chicago, IL 60608 – Phone: 773-890-7676
- www.mujereslatinasenaccion.org
- United African Organization
- 4910 S. King Drive, 1st Floor, Chicago, IL. 60615 – Phone: 312-949-9980
- www.uniteafricans.org
- Vietnamese Association of Illinois
- 5110 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60640 – Phone – 773- 728-3700
- https://hnvi.org/
- Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
- 33 North Dearborn St., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60602 – Phone: 312-332-1624
- www.cvls.org
- Legal Aid Chicago
- 120 S La Salle St, Chicago, IL 60604 – Phone: 312-341-1070
- https://www.legalaidchicago.org/
- Greater Chicago Legal Clinic
- 17 North State Street, Suite 1710, Chicago, IL 60602 Phone: 312-726-2938
- www.gclclaw.org
- La Villita Se Defiende
- Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
- 4477 S. Archer Avenue, Chicago, IL 60632 – Phone: 773-523-7110
- www.bpncchicago.org
- Enlace Chicago
- 2759 S Harding Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60623 – Phone: 773-943-7570
- www.enlacechicago.org
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice
- 4716 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640 – Phone: 773-271-0899
- www.advancingjustice-chicago.org
- Southwest Organizing Project
- 2558 W. 63rd Street, Chicago, IL 60629 – Phone: 773-471-8208
- www.swopchicago.org
- Southside Together Organizing for Power
- 602 E. 61st St., Chicago, IL 60637 – Phone: 773-217-9598
- www.STOPchicago.org
- Casa Michoacan
- 1638 S. Blue Island Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608 – Phone: 312-491-9317
- www.fedecmiusa.org
- National Immigrant Justice Center
- 224 S Michigan Ave Ste 600, Chicago, IL 60604– Phone: 312-660-1370
- https://immigrantjustice.org
With love and solidarity,
Stacy Davis Gates, CTU President
Jackson Potter, CTU Vice President
Christel Williams-Hayes, Recording Secretary
Maria Moreno, Financial Secretary
