Michelle Gunderson: Chicago School Officials Question Children Who Opt Out: Intimidation?
Guest post by Michelle Gunderson.
Chicago Public School officials sank to a new and unprecedented low this week. Children whose parents opted them out of testing were pulled from classrooms and questioned by officials from the district law office without parents' knowledge or consent. Parents, teachers, and community members are livid - and justly so.
When my son heard of small children (some as young as 8 years old) being questioned, he asked that I write this note on his arm with a Sharpie as an act of protest. "You may not speak to my son without my permission."
These photos are meant to be disturbing and provocative.
The visual impact of my son being "branded" on his forearm is intentional. He is in eighth grade, asked to be opted out, and is the son of an activist. He can hold his own. Imagine, though, being an 8 year old and a child whose primary language is not English.
When angry parents and community members questioned whether or not these actions were legal, CPS spokesperson Joel Hood said, "I'm not sure what would make it illegal."
The district claimed it was acting in loco parentis. Bruce Boyer and Stacey Platt, law professors from the Civitas program at Loyola University stated, in loco parentis is not a "license for schools and school districts to investigate and intimidate children, families, and