CPS would seem to have its Priorities Backwards

CPS appoints an apparent Racists Principal Katherine Konopasek to Adlai E. Stevenson Elementary School.  It would appear that the Board of Education of the City of Chicago has really lost all concept of what they are doing or rational thought.  It would seem that in 1998 Katherine Konopasek wrote an internal memo that didn’t remain internal for long.  This memo was about Hispanic students and their parents at Benito Juarez High School were Katherine Konopasek made some very upsetting racist comments as school parents called them.  The memo saying among other things that numerous female students at the mostly Latino school were being “beaten by their male relatives” and that they failed to report the beatings because of "cultural mores." Half of all Juarez girls were suicidal according to the memo.  The Chicago Tribune reported “Chicago school board officials said they would launch an investigation into the author of the internal memo, Katherine Konopasek, who works in the board's Department of School Quality Reviews.”

It would appear that Katherine Konopasek attempted to blame nurses and the social worker for the school.  These staff members apparently deny the comments saying most was taken out of context or misinterpreted in the memo.  In this five page memo one excerpt was found to be very offensive and over the line.  "Besides the gang problem, the school nurse and social worker see numerous students, mostly females, who are beaten by their fathers, brothers, and boyfriends. Many male family members are heavily involved with alcohol. Mothers and daughters suffer from the abuse this addiction brings. Many female students, at least 50 percent, are suicidal and experience bouts of depression. Mental illness exists and many young ladies are placed on medication for this. The community will not face or acknowledge this endemic problem. There are only a few Alcoholics Anonymous programs in the community, mostly for males and attended by few. Cultural mores do not allow females to verbalize their feelings and needs to stop the abuse they experience daily. The school must be proactive. An Alanon program must be instituted in the school. The curriculum as a whole must implement an alcohol awareness and abuse prevention program for all students."

This may have something to do with the fact that Katherine Konopasek’s father was a severe alcoholic and would seem to have been abusive to her mother according to court divorce records.  Maybe Katherine Konopasek just sees alcoholic child beaters everywhere due to her own past and experiences?  No one can say what causes someone to say or think things like this but it seems clear from the memo that Katherine Konopasek is harboring some past resentments.  I can’t speak to what Katherine Konopasek thinks or feels but one must wonder why CPS would make her a Principal of Stevenson Elementary School which is largely Hispanic in its student population.  Maybe they assumed because the children are younger that the “abuse this addiction brings” has not started yet.  When one internet searches Stevenson School reviews by parents the results seem to start to make sense.

Chicago Public Schools Chief Paul Vallas said he would take no disciplinary action regarding an internal memo written by Katherine Konopasek.  However, Katherine Konopasek will no longer conduct academic audits of schools Mr Vallas states.  Mr. Vallas also said that her reassignment to another unit within the Chicago School Board's Office of Accountability had nothing to do with the internal memo that had become public.  Although this may have happened some time ago people do not just change their personal opinions and ideologies no matter how much time passes.  It would seem that Katherine Konopasek’s Mother was stern and some would argue as abusive today.  It is ironic that she seems to be observed as being a by the book person that is stern and unwavering.  I have tried to reach Principal Konopasek for comments but have received no reply, and I was unable to reach her by phone.

I bring this up because it would seem that CPS and Katherine Konopasek has still not learned a lesson from the past as her current actions at Stevenson Elementary are questionable at best.  Recently refusing to allow a homeless student to enroll and after forced to allow him to be enrolled she has retaliated against the 4^th grader and his Mother.  One teacher said that she was yelled at humiliated by Konopasek because she told the mother of this student the truth.  It involves an incident where the mother was called and told her child smelled like urine and feces.  I guess she has strong feeling about the homeless as well, unfortunately for her the student has clean clothes and a bath every day.  Once it was discovered that it was not the 4^th grade student Konopasek not only did not apologize she was angry at a teacher for telling the truth.  This is confusing as the mother upon picking up her son would have realized that he did not smell and as the school has refused to provide uniforms he was in his same cloths.

If all this is not bad enough it would seem that Principal Konopasek then called the CPS Law Department where she had her friend Lee Ann Lowder (Attorney) further attempt to harass the family herself violating several laws to do so.  The Advocate for the mother had been in contact with Ms. Lee Ann Lowder for some time then when this violation was brought to her attention via email her replies abruptly stopped according to Glen Presnell the Child Advocate.  Mr. Presnell also says that he has contacted everyone he could at the Board about this from Jean-Claude Brizard, Patrick Rocks (Boards General Counsel), and many, many more.  To date CPS has been silent and no response has been given to the Parent of the Student or the Advocate.  I will keep you up to date about future events and what is done if anything by CPS in this matter.

By: Jason Glenn