Historic School Board Elections: Hear From the Candidates on Disability Issues

How do CPS School Board Candidates Aim to Support Students with Disabilities?

Hear from the Candidates

This year, for the first time ever, Chicagoans will get to vote for the CPS school board. We sent candidates running in each of the 10 districts a survey to hear directly from them how they plan to support students with disabilities if they are elected.

This link takes you to a map of the BOE districts. Click on the BLUE pins to see the candidate running in your district. Type your address into the search bar to find what district you live in. Alternatively, you can look up your sample ballot at the Chicago Board of Elections Website. 

In 2023, there were roughly 320,000 students enrolled in CPS. Of these students, 65,418, or just over 20%, are students with disabilities. These students are an essential part of the CPS community, participating in sports, advanced placement courses, and any other offerings that the district has. Special education policy is governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IDEA), which entitles students with disabilities to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment possible. Historically, CPS has not always supported its most vulnerable students, especially students of color with disabilities. In the 1998 Corey H. settlement, CPS was ordered to honor the inclusion of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Additionally, in 2019, ISBE issued a corrective action against CPS for denials of services to students with disabilities between 2016 and 2018. More recently, the district has made efforts to increase the number of special education teachers and established a Special Education Advisory Committee to the Board of Education. However, more work needs to be done to ensure that all students are given the opportunity to succeed in CPS. We hope that the next cohort of board members understands the need to support students with disabilities. 

Read what the candidates had to say