Tipsheet

Chicago Kids Can't Read, but Their Teachers Can Protest for Iran

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 10, 2026 5:00 PM

The Chicago Teachers' Union (CTU) is one of the most radical, Leftist unions in the nation, and that's quite the accomplishment as the competition is stiff.

They've already shown they love tyrannical dictators, having taken a trip to Venezuela to rub elbows with Nicolas Maduro, so it's no surprise that they're also on the side of the tyrannical Iranian regime, too.

Over the weekend, CTU was a sponsor and promoter of a "Hands Off Iran & Lebanon" protest in Chicago, along side Antifa, Marxist, and Islamist groups.

The entire post reads:

The Chicago Teachers Union proudly sponsored and promoted yesterday’s “Hands Off Iran & Lebanon” protest in downtown Chicago alongside a long list of activist groups, including organizations that openly identify with Marxist and Islamist revolutionary politics and have been associated with controversial figures and extremist rhetoric including celebrating Oct. 7, the deaths of American soldiers, praising martyrs and "resistance fighters," and supporting oppressive regimes while conveniently ignoring the atrocities their leaders commit against their own people. 

Chicago parents and taxpayers deserve to know why a teachers union is spending its time promoting political demonstrations with subversive groups whose main goal is dismantling America instead of focusing on improving literacy, math proficiency, and academic outcomes for CPS students.

And the list of co-sponsors and endorsers is chock-full of Marxist, Leftist, and other radical groups including Anti-War Committee Chicago, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Chicago Teachers Union, BDS Chicago, CAIR-Chicago, Coalition for Justice in Palestine, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), ACHE, Anti-War Action Network, Immigrant Rights Working Committee.

They also endorsed antisemitism at this protest.

We note these signs are spelled correctly.

While CTU promotes, sponsors, and endorses this, it's also prudent to remember how abysmal things are in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Roughly 30 percent of CPS students can read on grade level; only 20 percent can do math.

The district has a $734 million deficit, but spent millions on luxury travel to places like Egypt and Las Vegas.

It honored convicted cop killer Assata Shakur, who died last September, calling the violent terrorist "a revolutionary fighter, a fierce writer, a revered elder of Black liberation, and a leader of freedom."

In 2024, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates blamed the district's terrible test scores on "white supremacy."

"At CPS, 53 schools have zero students proficient at math. The 20 least enrolled schools average 14.6 percent capacity, a 3:1 student-teacher ratio, over $33k spend per student and 11 percent reading proficiency. Meanwhile Chicago Teachers Union is busy sponsoring protests with extreme Marxist and terrorist tied orgs claiming to care for women and children on the other side of the world instead of focusing on sensible solutions to real problems for women and children in their own city," said Josh Weiner, chief strategy officer at North American Values Institute.

Perhaps if the CTU spent less time parading around for tyrannical regimes and rubbing elbows with dangerous Marxist organizations, they'd be able to focus on educating Chicago's children. But they're not. Children and families in the Windy City deserve to know what the CTU does with their tax dollars, and they deserve better.