On Feb. 24, a bill that would create a federal book ban, H.R. 7661, was filed in Congress. If enacted, H.R. 7661 would create a de facto national book ban law, which would override Illinois’ Public Act 103, an act that bans book bans. This federal measure would supersede any local attempt to protect reading freedom.
In reality, this federal legislation is a disingenuous bill that is unlikely to be passed into law. This bill serves as a dog whistle to its sponsors’ extremist supporters and is meant to instill fear in schools and libraries. We oppose H.R. 7661 as yet another right-wing scare tactic to inflame public opinion. We encourage all Chicagoans to take action first by contacting their representatives to block the bill’s progress. Then advocate for your local school to have a school librarian.
In 2013, CPS had about 454 librarians. As a result of student-based budgeting, that number plunged to fewer than 100 by 2025. This year, due to the hard work of CPS librarians and library advocates, the Chicago Teachers Union won a contract guarantee from Chicago Public Schools to increase the number of schools staffed with librarians. By the end of this current teachers contract cycle, in 2028, the district will double the number of school librarians in the district, a good start toward having a school librarian in every school. But more can be done.
School librarians are the best value for the money taxpayers spend on education. Decades of research have shown that it is the presence of a school librarian, not simply having a library, that increases students’ literacy and college-ready information skills. And, importantly, in the current political climate, librarians defend students’ First Amendment right to read.
April 4 was National School Librarian Day. This year, the best way to fight book banners is to advocate for school librarians. Whether you have children in the school system or simply pass by your neighborhood school every day, you can get involved via your Local School Council.
Opposing book ban legislation and advocating for school librarians are both proven and effective ways to take action.
A room full of books can’t teach literacy or defend against censorship, but a school librarian can.
— Tara Donnelly, Lies Garner, Brenda Garcia and Margo Frizzell, librarians, Chicago Public Schools
Stop firewall for status quo
David Daley and Rachel Hutchinson’s op-ed regarding the need for ranked choice voting in Illinois (“Ranked choice voting would make Illinois primaries less nasty,” March 31) captures a mathematical truth. However, the 8th Congressional District results reveal an even more troubling consequence: The current system doesn’t just produce winners without a majority. It actively suppresses emerging leaders who most resonate with a restless electorate.
Kat Abughazaleh in the 9th Congressional District got her share of attention. But also consider the case of Dan Tully, one of eight candidates in the 8th. In a campaign just nine months long, the positioning and serious messaging of Tully — a veteran and attorney previously unknown in the district — attracted a following that leapt ahead of established elected officials and local businesspeople to finish third.
He accomplished this in a race dominated by outside attempts to influence the election. Heightened awareness of such “support” drove conclusions about the electability of all other candidates, chilling funding support.
And, I have to add my disappointment that news media including the Tribune preferred to cover how much money was being spent on the campaigns, focusing on the advertising, as opposed to covering what was new and different — and in Tully’s case, specific — for a way forward.
Tully’s success in resonating with 13% of primary voters in a race where the winner, a former congresswoman backed with millions of dollars, finished with 32%, is a clear measure of relevance to voters increasingly vocal about their discontent with the Democratic status quo.
U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Chris Murphy warned that the party needs new leaders to meet this moment — acknowledging polls showing deep dissatisfaction among the Democratic rank and file.
Under plurality-takes-all rules, Tully’s breakout potential was overshadowed by the bruising campaigns and gamesmanship that protect established interests.
Remember that Chicago saying, “We don’t want nobody that nobody sent”? Until Illinois adopts ranked choice voting, our primaries will continue to act as a firewall for the status quo, pushing aside the very candidates voters are signaling they want.
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— Pat Allen, Westchester
‘Ghost puppies’ in Illinois
An annual report released this year ranks Illinois as the fourth-best state in the country for animal protection laws. But a recent rabid dog case in Chicago highlights a glaring loophole that Illinois needs to address: the importation of more than 20,000 dogs a year, many of them “ghost puppies.”
In December, Chicago authorities announced that more than a dozen people had been exposed to a rabid puppy. It was the first rabid dog case in Illinois in three decades. State records show the puppy was imported by a Chicago rescue from a Florida rescue. Authorities believe the dog acquired rabies before it came into Illinois.
The case demonstrates a flaw in the system. Rescues and shelters are bringing in some 20,000 dogs a year, according to state records, and we don’t know the true source for many of them. They are “ghost puppies.”
The evidence we do have paints a picture of pet trafficking done under the guise of animal rescue.
Importation records reveal Illinois animal rescues are acquiring puppies from dog breeders or even puppy mills. A Wheaton-based rescue had her federal dog-breeding license permanently revoked in 2011 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
I’ve sat in the bleachers and watched as rescues bid on puppies against dog breeders. But those are the dogs we can trace. Other importation records show Illinois rescues acquiring puppy after puppy from rescues in Missouri.
Where do those Missouri rescues get so many puppies? There’s no public paper trail showing their origin.
Legislation pending in the legislature, HB3056, would clean up this situation. It would require puppies imported by rescues to be at least 8 weeks old, and it would prohibit rescues from purchasing puppies from breeders for resale. Groups engaged in “retail rescue” could instead be helping overburdened, taxpayer-funded animal shelters.
By passing this legislation, Illinois would be a national leader in ensuring that, whatever the source of a dog, it has the protections and standards it deserves.
— Ana Soskic-Starr, founder, Protect Our Pets Illinois, Chicago
Presence of AI in schools
As a former teacher, I’m concerned about the efficiency of how learning is applied and assimilated. There are different types of learners, and I wonder if material is presented in all those formats. Also, the benefits of learning in a group that is physically present with eye contact ensures the development of appropriate social skills that will last a lifetime.
Teachers are very impactful on students’ lives, especially the young ones, as they begin to be more independent in their academic learning and their understanding of self. Will kids grow up with fond memories of artificial intelligence No. 222?
AI has arrived too fast and too intense to evolve into a meaningful asset. Gradual growth affords the opportunity to work out the kinks so it provides the proper impact on our society. We’re still discovering the impact of social media.
The sign of the times should be more social-emotional skill-building, hands-on learning, community building and conflict resolution.
Computers have a place, but we need to better evaluate what that place should be.
— Denise Garvy, Chicago
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