Chicago City Wire

Brian Burch, President of Catholic Vote, said the Chicago Public Schools district forcing students into undisclosed meditation practices is another instance of teachers and their unions "abusing their power." Burch underscored the issue of keeping parents in the dark about classroom activities, which contradicts common sense and highlights systemic problems within the district.

"The fact that public school teachers and their unions often abuse their power is well known, but we never seem to lack for new abuses hitting the news," said Brian Burch, President. "The Chicago Public Schools are infamous for this--the notion that parents should be kept in the dark about what is going on in the classroom runs against all common sense."

According to Illinois Policy, former students of Chicago Public Schools have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the district coerced them into participating in meditation practices. The suit also claims that these students were required to sign nondisclosure agreements to prevent their parents from being informed. The lawsuit accuses the district of violating students' constitutional rights through a "quiet time" curriculum that involved transcendental meditation and other religious activities conducted without parental knowledge.

Illinois Policy further reports that this lawsuit was filed following the Chicago Teachers Union's (CTU) submission of a 142-page set of demands for its next contract. Among these demands is increased control over curriculum content and greater union influence in schools, potentially allowing teachers to incorporate their own content into classroom instruction.

The same source indicates that additional demands include nine percent annual wage increases, supplementary stipends for certain qualifications, surrogacy leave, and broader definitions of assault to encompass verbal attacks. This ambitious proposal aims to create better environments but has raised concerns regarding potential costs and impacts on school operations and budgets.

Catholic Vote is an advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. According to its website, it aims to "inspire every Catholic in America to live out the truths of our faith in public life." The group was founded in 2008 with Brian Burch serving as its president.