Chicago Mayor, K–12 School Leaders at Odds Over May 1 Anti-Trump Protest Plan

An opposition group says, ‘Chicago could stand alone as the ONLY major city shutting down schools for this.’

Then-mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson after campaigning at a cafe during the mayoral runoff election in Chicago on April 4, 2023. Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

In the Windy City, the public school system and its teachers union are sending mixed messages to families now that Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced his support to cancel classes on May 1 for a national day of protest despite the superintendent’s opposition.

Last month, the Chicago Teachers Union passed a resolution affirming that members will participate in the planned “May Day” events to protest “an unprecedented national assault on education driven by [Make America Great Again] politicians, billionaire donors, and corporate interests who seek to privatize our schools, censor educators, ban books, dismantle civil rights protections, criminalize and separate immigrant families, and weaken workers’ unions.”