Emanuel Critic Removed As Blaine Elementary Principal
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An outspoken Chicago Public Schools principal, who has been critical of the mayor and school administration, has been told to stay home.
CPS removed Blaine Elementary School principal Troy LaRaviere for misconduct, months after the school board warned him about critical comments.
CPS officials aren't saying exactly what he did other than that he violated a previous warning issued by the board of education.
The August reprimand of LaRaviere amounted to a formal censure, and it is often a first step in a process that could end in termination.
LaRaviere posted a response on Thursday morning on Facebook: "Believe it or not, my 'reassignment' was only the second most ridiculous thing that CPS did on Wednesday. Wait 'til you hear about the first. I'll be writing later today."
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A pre-suspension hearing will be held to determine his employment status and whether he can be stripped of his pay while he's off the job.
Pedro Alonso, a retired principal from Von Steuben High School has been tapped to replace LaRaviere at Blaine.
A meeting has been scheduled for Monday night at Blaine to discuss the leadership change and possible transition plans.
LaRaviere did appear in a Bernie Sanders presidential ad, but the board isn't saying whether that decision played a role in the decision. In a politically charged ad LaRaviere, said, "In Chicago, we have endured a corrupt political system and the chief politician standing in the way of us getting good schools is our mayor."
Later Thursday, the Sanders campaign issued a statement that took a swipe at Emanuel, a previous target.
"It is absolutely unacceptable that a school principal is facing politically-motivated retaliation because he dared to stand up to the mayor of Chicago," Sanders said in a prepared statement. "The only explanation for his removal appears to be Mayor Emanuel's unhealthy obsession with taking revenge."
