Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

*** UPDATED x1 - Pritzker responds *** A look at the continuing Arroyo replacement battle

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Russ Stewart takes a look at the political landscape in former Rep. Luis Arroyo’s district…

The 3rd District, which stretches from Montclare east to Central Park in Avondale, is over 65 percent Hispanic, mostly Puerto Rican. But there is a sizeable white voter base. [Sen. Rob Martwick] is backing his longtime political operative Dave Feller, who lives in Portage Park, in the March 17 primary. Feller did not present his credentials on Nov. 15, calling the meeting a “sham. Let the voters decide.” [Sen. Iris Martinez], who is running for Circuit Court Clerk, said the replacement of Arroyo by a non-Latino would be “racist.”

Nine candidates appeared [at the ward committeeman meeting to choose the replacement] on Nov. 15: [Eva-Dina Delgado, who was chosen to replace Arroyo], firefighter Joaquin Vasquez, Belinda Cadiz from the 33rd Ward, Ruth Cruz and Otilio Serrano from the 30th Ward, Alonzo Zaragosa, a perennial candidate against Berrios in the 31st Ward, former 1st Ward alderman Jesse Granato, TV broadcaster Ruben Calderon, and Jacqueline Baez, who announced months ago and is circulating petitions for both state representative and for 36th Ward committeeman, which will set up a three-way contest for Arroyo’s party post between her, Feller and Alderman Gilbert Villegas (36th), Arroyo’s ally. But Vasquez, Baez and Zaragosa walked-out with [Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa] (but Vasquez came back), sources said.

The March 17 primary will feature Feller, Delgado and Baez against Nadia Carranza, a teacher and CTU member who is Ramirez-Rosa’s candidate, and also backed by state Representative Delia Ramirez (D-4). Ramirez-Rosa is a “democratic socialist” and chairman of the Chicago Socialist Party, and he and his organization will be working fervently for Bernie Sanders. To win, Delgado needs equally fervent support from Reboyras, Villegas and Alderman Felix Cardona (31st), who is running for the retiring Berrios’s post.

Whether Delgado does or does not get seated is a critical factor. She can position herself as a martyr, a pristine victim of either Arroyo’s wrongdoing or of Madigan’s arrogance. Or, as Martwick predicts, she will be revealed as a self-promoting insider with connections to Arroyo. It is a fact that Delgado, who now works for Peoples Gas, Edison, was a lobbyist in Springfield for Chicago for many years, and that her husband Erik Varela has a top county job under Toni Preckwinkle and multi-tasks as a lobbyist for Union Pacific. Arroyo, chair of the House Latino Caucus, put Varela on the board of the Latino Caucus Foundation, which doles out college scholarships, primarily to children of undocumented immigrants who can’t get aid elsewhere. This “Arroyo connection” will surely surface during any expulsion hearing. Delgado’s name ID will rise exponentially, but not necessarily favorably.

The 3rd District primary turnout in 2016 was 15,860 and in 2018 was 7,906. Whoever gets 33-36 percent will win. About 4,500 votes will do it. That leaves out Feller and Baez. Give the edge to Carranza, who will have CTU money and no baggage.

I’ve been telling subscribers about Carranza for a while now. She is definitely one to watch and Feller’s presence on the ballot could siphon some “regular” votes away from Delgado.

…Adding… From the Cook County President’s office…

Erik Varela no longer works for Cook County and hasn’t for some time. He left the County more than a year ago. Additionally, he never multi-tasked as a lobbyist for Union Pacific while working for the County. He left his County position to take the Union Pacific job. There was never an overlap in employment.

*** UPDATE *** From Gov. Pritzker’s press conference today…

I want the voters to have a representative that is chosen in a proper fashion, that will truly represent them and not be part of an air of corruption. It’s important to me that we look closely at this process and ask the question ‘Is this the right process?”

He also noted that the House will now decide whether to seat Delgado and noted that Speaker Madigan has already said what he plans to do.

11 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 - Pritzker responds *** State schools superintendent said board will “take immediate steps to address this urgent problem” of forced student isolation

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the weekly message of State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala…

ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune published the results of an investigation this morning into the use of isolated time-out and physical restraint in Illinois schools. The stories from students and parents and the data the reporters collected and analyzed are appalling, inexcusable, and deeply saddening. The practices of isolated-time out and physical restraint have been misused and overused to a shocking extent; this must stop today.

ISBE condemns the unlawful use of time-out and restraint, which includes using these practices as punishment. ISBE will take action against any school district that is violating the law.

The Illinois State Board of Education will take immediate steps to address this urgent problem and implement stronger protections for students’ mental, physical, and social-emotional health.

As educators, we work hard to make our schools trauma-responsive – but first and foremost, our schools must be trauma-free. Our schools must be places where all students feel and are safe.

…Adding… The ISBE knew this story was coming and waited until after the fallout hit to issue a statement of outrage. From the original story…

Informed of the investigation’s findings, the Illinois State Board of Education said it would issue guidance clarifying that seclusion should be used only in emergencies. Officials acknowledged they don’t monitor the use of isolated timeout and said they would need legislative action to do so.

…Adding… To the handful of folks defending this barbaric practice in comments, I point you to this passage from the original article…

In Illinois, it’s legal for school employees to seclude students in a separate space — to put them in “isolated timeout” — if the students pose a safety threat to themselves or others. Yet every school day, workers isolate children for reasons that violate the law, an investigation by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois has found.

Children were sent to isolation after refusing to do classwork, for swearing, for spilling milk, for throwing Legos. School employees use isolated timeout for convenience, out of frustration or as punishment, sometimes referring to it as “serving time.”

*** UPDATE *** Gov. JB Pritzker was asked for comment today by reporters at an unrelated event. He called the forced isolation practice “appalling,” said it was “unacceptable” and pledged to “make a change.”

Pritzker said the State Board of Education will be implementing emergency rules for now. He said long-term solutions, like perhaps more funding, would be looked at, but wanted some short-term issues addressed as soon as possible.

“Under my watch these are things that should not happen,” Pritzker said.

41 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 - Rep. Carroll: “Isolation was my personal Hell”*** Schools aren’t reporting some instances of forced student isolation

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller

* ProPublica Illinois and the Tribune…

In fall 2015, Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Crystal Lake first used its Blue Room, a padded space that allows school workers to place students in “isolated timeout” for safety reasons.

Students were secluded in that room more than 120 times during the 2015-16 school year, according to records obtained by ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune. Yet the district, in its required reporting to the federal government, said it hadn’t used seclusion at all that school year.

Crystal Lake District 47 is an example of how even with federal reporting requirements, it’s nearly impossible to know how often some Illinois schools seclude children. An investigation by the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois found widespread use of seclusion but little transparency.

All public school districts are required to report their use of seclusion and physical restraint to the U.S. Department of Education as part of its Civil Rights Data Collection, which the department uses to help investigate discrimination complaints and to ensure districts follow federal policies. The data is collected every other school year and published online.

Because the Illinois State Board of Education does not monitor the use of seclusion or restraint in public schools, the federal data is the only systematic way for communities to determine whether and how frequently those practices are being used in their schools.

Some public schools, however, either reported incorrect data or failed to submit any information — making it difficult for parents to know with certainty whether their children’s school secludes or restrains students. A spokeswoman for Crystal Lake District 47 said its failure to report accurate data was a mistake.

To determine whether Illinois districts complied with reporting requirements, the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois filed requests under the state’s Freedom of Information Act with 75 randomly selected districts where the federal data showed no instances of seclusion for the 2015-16 school year. Those requests asked for records documenting the use of seclusion or restraint from 2015 through the end of 2018 — records that Illinois law requires districts to keep.

In addition to Crystal Lake, five districts provided records showing they had used seclusion or restraint in 2015-16 despite indicating to the Department of Education they had not.

Unreal.

* I told you yesterday that Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook) is filing a bill to end these seclusions. He also texted me this…

I was so upset when I read this I filed something immediately. This practice has to stop.

You’re isolating children who on top of everything else feel isolated. Imagine being different from your peers and the response to your challenges is being isolated. Just terrible.

He expanded on his thoughts with Politico…

As a former special education teacher, I can tell you that these children already feel isolated. We need to focus on teaching coping strategies and make sure these kids do not feel alone. By putting them in isolation, it’s reinforcing that they’re different and that his/her challenges are his/her fault. It is not and we need to make sure our children are safe and protected.

*** UPDATE *** Rep. Carroll wrote about his own personal experiences today…

Isolation rooms are, in theory, used to help calm an individual down through separation and reflection. Except these rooms can often act as a form of torture to an individual in crisis. Trust me, I know first-hand how painful being isolated can be. My childhood was very difficult. I was diagnosed with ADHD at a time where people still didn’t quite understand the disorder. There were many interventions used including isolation timeouts in a locked closed space. I am 45-years old and still have nightmares because of this treatment.

Due to my challenges, I was already ostracized by my peers. Getting invited to birthday parties and playdates was a rare occurrence. My life was isolation. In response to my challenges, I would be locked into a small room. I can recall every detail from the smell, lighting and texture of the carpeted walls. There was a small window on the door. One constituent who contacted us through social media shared that he still has scars on his knuckles from punching the carpeted walls because panic had set in. This treatment was, and continues to be, beyond cruel. We isolate criminals instead of using the death penalty. Think about that for a second; we use the same intervention on children that’s used on our worst criminals.

I very rarely talk about my past because it is very painful for me to do so. Simply writing this blog post, and recollecting my past experiences is giving me anxiety. Isolation was my personal Hell. I begged my parents to take me out of that school and when they did, it changed my life. My struggles didn’t go away, but I learned better coping strategies without having to be isolated. Thank goodness I was one of the lucky ones. Others are not so fortunate. It was my experience with this that helped shape my decision to become a Special Education teacher, and make sure that future students are not subjected to this kind of treatment. Now, as a legislator, I am working on a bill to ensure this practice stops entirely in our state.

I am drafting legislation to stop this practice in Illinois. It is a battle I must and will fight. No child should ever be isolated when he or she is in crisis. When around 40% of states already recognize how this treatment is wrong, hearing that Illinois uses this more than any other state is horrific. There will be opposition to my efforts, but I’ll be ready. To the 12-year old boy who’s still inside of me dealing with this pain, I will do everything in my power to not have others feel the same way.

* Related…

* The Quiet Rooms: How children are being locked away in schools across Illinois: Lakeidra Chavis, reporting fellow for ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune data reporter joins The Roe Conn Show with Anna Davlantes to discuss how children are being locked away in so-called “quiet rooms” in schools across the state.