First-ever charter school strike in nation. Demand for Schools To Become Sanctuary Schools...

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Teachers for the Acero charter schools network began picketing Tuesday morning, marking the nation’s first-ever strike by charter school educators and canceling classes for thousands of students.

“We’re going to stay on strike until we get educational justice for the people who work in Acero charter schools,” Jesse Sharkey, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, said during a press conference ahead of the picket line. “Our teachers are here to do the right thing by their students.”

There's more:

Over 90 percent of Acero students are Latino. That is why its educators on the picket line are also demanding that Acero campuses become sanctuary schools.

Sanctuary schools promise to protect members of their student body as well as their families. It will prevent federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement from entering their campus without a court order, warrant or subpoena.

The majority of the school’s population are living in constant fear because of their immigration status, said Martha Baumgarten, a fifth-grade teacher at Acero’s Carlos Fuentes Elementary School.

“Many of [our students] are facing immigration issues either themselves or with their families,” Baumgarten said. “We are demanding that no information is shared with ICE, that no one is let inside our schools without a warrant, that resources are provided to our families and our staff to help them stay in the country.”

What a mess...