Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates said that children belong to them while delivering a speech at the City Club of Chicago.
"Baldwin says the children are always ours. Every single one of them, all over the globe. And what comes next is 'CTU thinks your children are its children.' Yes, we do. We do. We do," Davis Gates said on Monday.
Davis Gates cited James Baldwin, a prominent writer and civil rights activist.
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Davis Gates went on to say, "'CTU thinks all children belong to it. And they're a socialist conspiracy ideology.' Well, I don't know about all that, but we like children. We educate them, we nurture them, we protect them, we support them, we negotiate for them, we create space for them. We even have them in our homes."
Davis Gates was invited to deliver an address at the City Club of Chicago, a public forum where prominent government officials and influential figures speak. Since it was founded in 1903, the forum has hosted speakers from both sides of the political aisle, including President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
The Chicago Teachers Union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project and school choice advocate, told Fox News Digital that Chicago's public school system is performing poorly.
"The irony is glaring: if the CTU were a parent, it would lose custody for educational neglect and abuse, given the catastrophic failure of Chicago's public schools," DeAngelis said.
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Davis Gates previously made headlines for making controversial claims criticizing school choice policies and conservatives.
Last year, she told a news radio host that conservatives do not want Black children to read, adding that it is "part of the oath they take to be right wing."
During contract negotiations with Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union reportedly called for over $50 billion to pay for wage hikes along with several other demands. To put the figure into context, the total base tax receipts for the state of Illinois last year were $50.7 billion.
Davis Gates' remarks and CTU contract demands came amid Chicago's enrollment crisis. The Windy City currently faces enrollment struggles with a high price tag for the small number of students attending class.
A report authored by ChalkBeat and ProPublica found that 47 schools are operating "at less than one-third capacity, leading to high costs and limited course offerings."
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Chicago Public Schools had roughly 325,000 students enrolled this year after losing 70,000 students from a decade ago, according to the report.
While the city faces enrollment struggles, the city spends about $18,700 per student. Some schools are "double or triple" that number, the report stated. Frederick Douglass Academy High School, which enrolled 28 students, costs $93,000 per student, the report also showed.
The Chicago Teachers Union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
