Last week, Action Now parents and community members held a “School Board Bullies Bus Tour” traveling to the homes of three Chicago Board of Education members to protest school closings and post suspension notice yard signs that accuse Board members of “bullying parents, students, teachers, and community members.” The first stop on the bus tour was the home of Board of Education member Andrea Zopp. Action Now member Adeline Bracey, who has 4 grandchildren in Chicago Public Schools, spoke in front of Zopp’s house, saying, “Andrea Zopp is the President of the Chicago Urban League, which is supposed to help and support the African-American community. But from what I have seen, as a Board of Education member she has sold us out! School closings are happening in mostly African-American communities and Ms. Zopp has done nothing to stop it!”

The second stop on the tour was at Board of Education President David Vitale’s house, where Action Now mother Chevelle Alberts spoke about her son’s school being on the chopping block. The last stop on the tour was at Penny Pritzker’s home. Pritzker was a CPS Board member until she resigned last week. Michelle Young, Action Now President and LSC Vice President gave a speech in front of Pritzker’s home, “While on the School Board, Penny Pritzker took millions of our taxpayer TIF dollars for her new Hyatt Hotel. This is taxpayer money that should have gone to our schools! We have kids trying to learn without books in the classroom or toilet paper in the bathrooms and she has the never to take that money? It is a disgrace and I don’t care if she retired. She did enough damage while on the School Board that she should never again hold a government position where she can abuse the public’s trust.”