{"id":1400791,"date":"2026-01-29T08:34:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1400791&preview=true&preview_id=1400791"},"modified":"2026-01-29T08:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:35:08","slug":"west-chicago-teacher-ice-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/01\/29\/west-chicago-teacher-ice-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago-area teacher put on leave after social media post supporting ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Parents, students and community members filled West Chicago City Hall on Monday to express outrage over a local elementary school teacher\u2019s alleged social media post that appeared to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as the west suburb and nation continue to be roiled by the Trump administration\u2019s increasingly aggressive<\/a> deportation crackdown. \n

\u201cThe kids and their families have experienced and are experiencing real trauma they have to deal with daily,\u201d one mother said, addressing the crowd and a panel of local politicians who attended the meeting. \n

Referencing the social media post, the mom said, \u201cthose words are a break of trust that is absolutely critical in a school \u2014 and that trust has been broken.\u201d \n

\u201cKids do not feel safe, which means they aren\u2019t safe,\u201d she added. \n

The audience at the morning meeting included many children whose parents said they had pulled them out of school that day because of worry over a controversial social media post that appeared to have been made by a West Chicago Elementary District 33 employee. \n

A written statement from Superintendent Kristina Davis said that on Jan. 22 the school district \u201clearned of concerns regarding a disruptive social media comment made by a district employee on his personal account.\u201d \n

The teacher initially submitted his resignation but later that day he withdrew it before the school board had an opportunity to take action, according to the statement. \n\n

On Monday, the employee met with district administration and afterward was placed on administrative leave pending a district investigation. The employee won\u2019t be permitted on district property during the investigation, the statement added. \n

The statement did not name the employee or the school at which he works. \n

\u201cWe understand that this situation has raised concerns and caused disruption for students, families, and staff,\u201d according to the statement. \u201cWe want to ensure our schools are safe spaces, and we look forward to seeing all students back in school tomorrow.\u201d \n

An online petition with more than 380 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon called for parents in the district to keep their children home from school on Monday in protest. \n

\u201cThis week, a D33 teacher commented, \u201cGo ICE!\u201d in response to a community article,\u201d the petition said. \u201cThe casual way in which he publicly promoted the actions of ICE in our area is inappropriate and unsuitable for an educator.\u201d \n

The petition noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has \u201cactively harmed the families in our area, including the students (the employee) is tasked to care for daily.\u201d \n

\u201cThe best way to show our district that we need action to be taken is to show them that keeping this teacher will disrupt the emotional welfare and therefore, the education of our students,\u201d the petition said. \n

West Chicago officials called Monday\u2019s meeting a \u201ccommunity listening session\u201d and said it was hosted by city officials to \u201cprovide a space for voices to be heard in a way that does not further impact students or disrupt school operations.\u201d \n

The meeting came as clashes over immigration enforcement tactics have reached a flashpoint nationwide following the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti<\/a> in Minneapolis on Saturday at the hands of immigration officials, the second U.S. citizen to be killed by federal forces in Minnesota this month. \n

During the West Chicago meeting, Mayor Daniel Bovey described the terror many local children<\/a> have experienced during the recent onslaught of immigration enforcement in the Chicago area, dubbed Operation Midway Blitz<\/a>. \n

\u201cThe reason we are here this morning is because our community is one that has been traumatized in the last three months, four months by the actions of ICE,\u201d Bovey told the crowd at the start of the meeting. \u201cAnd we have kids in the schools \u2026 in the school in question who have lost a mom or a dad in recent months. We have kids who are having panic attacks at school, who are afraid that they will get home and their mom or their dad will not be there.\u201d \n

The issue is not about an individual\u2019s right to an opinion that might go against the majority, he added. \n

\u201cThe issue is we have trusted adults who are the ones that care for those kids when they can\u2019t be with their mom and their dad,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cSo to have someone cavalierly rooting on \u2014 as if it\u2019s a football game or something, yeah go \u2014 events which have traumatized these children \u2026 that is the issue.\u201d \n

During an interview with the Tribune on Tuesday, Bovey said he had personally received \u201chundreds of hate messages\u201d regarding the incident, adding that the vast majority are coming from all over the country and very few are from within the community.<\/p>\n