UPDATE: The idiocracy at CPS. A hat trick. | Fred Klonsky

The idiocracy at CPS. A hat trick. | Fred Klonsky:

The idiocracy at CPS. A hat trick.

by Fred Klonsky

Y’know, it’s not like I’m paid for this.
I have other responsibilities.
Even though I’m retired.
But some days, there is just too much to cover.
Like yesterday.

• Millionaire heiress, union-buster, school-closer, tax-cheat Penny Pritzker resigns from the CPS board to go work for Obama in DC as Commerce Secretary (it is rumored).
• In spite of thousands of people turning out at city-wide hearings opposing school closings, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett claims everyone understands why she is closing schools.
• And then the craziness around Persepolis.

It’s a blogger’s hat trick.
Nate Goldbaum sends this:

Below are listings of Persepolis in the CPS.edu website
1-4 of 4 persepolis.
Toolset_Seventh_Grade_v1.0.pdf
Literacy Content Framework SEVENTH GRADE TOOLSET VERSION 1.0 – SY12-13 CITY OF CHICAGO Rahm Emanuel Mayor CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION David J. Vitale President Jesse H. Ruiz Vice President Members: Henry …
http://www.cps.edu/commoncore/Documents/Toolset_Seventh_Grade_v1.0.pdf
Toolset_Eleventh_Grade_v1.0.pdf
Literacy Content Framework ELEVENTH GRADE TOOLSET VERSION 1.0 – SY12-13 CITY OF CHICAGO Rahm Emanuel Mayor CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION David J. Vitale President Jesse 

CTU statement on book banning.

by Fred Klonsky

The Chicago Teachers Union released the following statements regarding today’s protests by educators and students of the school district’s sudden ban on the graphic novel Persepolis.
Elementary school principals were ordered through email to remove all copies of the book from classrooms and libraries:
“We are surprised ‘Persepolis: A Story of Childhood’ would be banned by the Chicago Public School (CPS) system.  The only place we’ve heard of this book being banned is in Iran. We understand why the district would be afraid of a book like this– at a time when they are closing schools–because it’s about questioning authority, class structures, racism and gender issues. There’s even a part in the book where they are talking about blocking access to education. So we can see why the school district would be alarmed about students learning about these principles.  There’s a lot of merit in Marjane Satrapj’s graphic novel. Not only is it thoughtful, it can be instructive for young people, especially girls. Persepolis can help our students begin to think about the world around them. We hope CPS has not reverted back to the 1950s,” said CTU Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle.”
“We hope this is not a trend in Chicago’s failed school reform experiment. There are rumors that CPS wants to also ban ‘A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider’ by Ishmael Beah, and, that too, would be unfortunate. We stand with our educators who see this sudden book banning directive as an unnecessary overreaction,” added CTU spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin.

Persepolis protest scheduled at Lane this afternoon.

by Fred Klonsky

A group of students, parents and teachers from Lane Technical High School are planning a protest this afternoon at the corners of Western and Addison streets. They will be protesting the action of CPS bureaucrats who have attempted to pull the acclaimed graphic novel, Persepolis, off of school book shelves.
The action is scheduled for 3:30.
Teacher networks across the city have been buzzing about the action by CPS.
Frankly, nobody can figure this one out. Teachers have said that the book is on the CPS Core Curriculum reading list for multiple grades.
“Oh, stick around. CPS bureaucrats do this all the time. They never learn to research first – just one knee-jerk reaction after another,” one CPS teacher wrote me.
According to organizers all are invited to the protest who support the First Amendment, education and intellectual freedom.