We can always count on the left to be consistent in one thing. They always fail to see the long term consequences of their goofy ideas. Then, when those consequences materialize, it is left up to the rest of us to fix them. One of those goofy ideas that will have serious long term consequences is emerging in, once again, Chicago. And as with many things in 2024, it is the result of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ open border.
The sanctuary city of Chicago has struggled mightily with an influx of illegal immigrants. Now, teachers in Chicago are saying that they are being told to give passing grades to illegal immigrant students regardless of their academic performance. Public school teachers from several districts say they have been told to pass the students. One second-grade teacher was told to pass a student with a “C” in all subjects, from the second to the third grade, despite the fact that the student was testing at a kindergarten level. Another teacher claims that at a training session, he was told to promote illegal immigrant students automatically to the next grade.
The arrival of large numbers of illegal immigrant students has created several problems, the most significant of which are language barriers. The predominant language among the new students is Spanish, but many of the students’ families are living in black neighborhoods, where schools have few programs for children whose primary language is Spanish. Those schools have few teachers who can speak Spanish. One teacher said they used Google Translate, and the school’s only Spanish teacher “for the entire year” to communicate with non-English speaking students.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez disputes the claims; He says that all students are held to the same standards, and that “over 90 percent” of CPS students have bilingual programs at school. However, a CPS spokesman later acknowledged that guidelines for promoting students were “modified to serve the specialized needs of English Language Learners.” CPS went on to say that English-learning students were put in summer school programs designed to improve their English literacy. Teachers, however, say none of their students took part in the summer programs.
It is a situation that is, on the part of illegal immigrant parents, a bit nervy. Parents who are in the country illegally expect their children, also in the country illegally, to go to school and are complaining about the lack of education they are receiving. Those parents have contacted a community organization called Little Village Community Council and its director, Baltazar Enriquez. Enriquez says that parents are saying,
“They just tell them, ‘Sit there, read a book, or they let them be on their phone. They’re not understanding anything that’s going on. And they want to understand. They want to learn.”
Enriquez added, “(Parents) are the ones telling us, ‘My son is not learning. They’re not even teaching him in his language.’” While we might all understand that many illegal immigrants come here for a better life for their children, coming legally might increase the chances your child will receive the proper education. Unfortunately, in the middle are the children who suffer because they are not learning.
Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson has gotten an earful from Chicago residents about illegal immigrants flooding into the city. Back in April, Johnson requested $70 million from Chicago’s Board of Aldermen to take care of illegal immigrants in the Windy City, where they have been sheltered in some of the city’s poorest areas, many of them predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
The Chicago Teachers Union has certainly had illegal immigrants in their sights. In May, while negotiating a new contract, they wanted a few extras, like $50 billion for higher wages. Okay, everyone thinks teachers should be paid better. And they demanded a few other things like vacant school buildings to be used to house illegal immigrants, LGBTQ proposals, and…last but certainly not least…free abortions.
The illegal immigrant situation may change drastically after the November election. But as long as they are here, it might be a good idea for Chicago Public Schools not to focus on LGBTQ proposals or free abortions. Maybe they can figure out how to effectively teach these children, too. That way, they are not collateral damage for some goofy leftist idea.
