A special education teacher is fighting back against her firing by suing the Chicago Board of Education.
"I love my students, I care deeply about my students and their education and their social and emotional well being," Sarah Chambers said Friday. "If Rahm Emanuel and CPS truly cared about our students with disabilities, they would immediately reinstate me, separate the co-mingle special education/general education funds and fully fund special education."
Chambers has long been vocal in her fight for special education in Chicago Public Schools.
"Sarah has criticized the school board because the school board has cut funding to special education," Josiah Groff, the teacher's attorney, says.
The Board of Education fired Chambers back in April with several charges, including negligence and insubordination.
Accusations, CTU President Karen Lewis says go against everything in Chambers' file.
"We have nothing but distinguished ratings, no discipline and then we move immediately to termination. It's garbage, it's garbage, it's retaliation," Lewis said.
Local
The highlighted dismissal accusations included misconduct associated with the PARCC standardized test and improper manipulation and use of CPS students.
"Ms. Chambers has been highly vocal, anti-standardized testing advocate for years. But, all of a sudden this year when the PARCC doesn't count for anything, all of a sudden that's a problem? It's a trumped up charge," Lewis said.
Chicago Public Schools released this statement:
"Ms. Chambers engaged in serious misconduct including: interfering with statewide tests and participating in a scheme to remove or transport students...These are serious and grave actions that did not put students' interests first."
