During public participation at Thursday’s board meeting, union leaders, parents and charter staff urged the district to act on several urgent fronts: support families facing ICE enforcement in neighborhoods, prevent midyear disruptions at charter schools and expand supports for students affected by bullying.

Diane Castro, CTU financial secretary, said educators and families are still reeling from recent ICE activity and asked CPS for concrete outreach and options for families, including virtual learning where appropriate and central‑office support for phone outreach and home visits. "We still do not have a solution for the students who do not come to school because of the fear of being kidnapped in their communities," Castro said.

Union speakers and several charter principals and teachers urged the board to address charter school financial instability. John Conant, the CTU charter division chair, asked CPS to work with operators such as Espira to develop short‑term plans so schools can remain open through the school year and to protect staff in transitions.

Parents and principals representing individual schools (Academy for Global Citizenship, Intrinsic, Chicago Collegiate, Shai Arts, University of Chicago Charter School and others) spoke in favor of multi‑year renewals and requested written commitments to keep teachers and programs intact during management transitions.

Several speakers also tied these concerns to student well‑being: parents discussed bullying incidents that have recently appeared in media coverage and asked for more information on suspensions, expulsions and restorative alternatives. Board members and the CEO described an existing task force and command center to coordinate school safety and said weekly briefings and memos are being provided to board members.

The board did not immediately adopt new policy in response to the public comments but agreed to continue weekly updates on community safety and to work with charter operators and unions on transition details.