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Union urges Board to require CPS apology and a true transition plan for EPIC Academy families and staff
Summary
CTU charter division chair Jen Conant told the Chicago Board of Education that a CPS email after the board’s amendments omitted the board’s changes and left EPIC families and staff without a transition plan; she demanded an apology, a collaborative transition plan including a receiving-school option, and corrected communications to families and staff.
Jen Conant, chair of the Chicago Teachers Union’s charter division, told the Chicago Board of Education on Nov. 10 that a CPS email to EPIC Academy families sent after a unanimous board vote omitted the amendments the board had approved and failed to include staff.
Conant said the board’s amendments required a transition plan “to maximize stability and continuity for EPIC families and qualified staff, including choosing a receiving school,” but that the CPS email described only a wind-down in which “every student enrolls somewhere else” and made no mention of a receiving school or a transition plan. “The entire email from CPS to families violates the intention of the board’s amendments,” she said, and asked the board to demand an apology, require CPS to develop a transition plan with families and staff, and send corrected communications to both families and staff.
Conant also raised broader concerns about the charter operator referenced in her remarks (transcript: Espira/Aspira), saying the operator’s financial situation is unclear, that layoffs and new sub policies have caused staff shortages and that these management choices risk long-term damage to school stability. “Management’s decisions seem to be haphazard and without a comprehensive plan to stabilize our schools,” she said.
Why it matters: The board’s amendments were intended to secure more stability for students and staff at EPIC Academy; Conant’s remarks allege district communications and implementation have not honored that direction. The board did not respond to Conant during public participation, and the record does not indicate immediate follow-up action.
Next steps: Conant requested an apology, a collaboratively developed transition plan that includes family input and consideration of a receiving school, and corrected outreach to staff; the board moved on to other agenda processes and later recessed for a short break before convening a closed session.
