Former CPS Teacher Says He Was Fired Over Frank Memoir
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A former teacher is suing Chicago Public schools claiming he was fired over his memoir.
As WBBM Newsradio's Pat Cassidy reports, former teacher Luis Aguilera is suing the district for more than $300,000, claiming he was fired from his job as a Spanish teacher at the Bronzeville Scholastic Institute, 4934 S. Wabash Ave., in 2009, after a parent took issue with his book, Gabriel's Fire.
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The book recounts his coming of age on the South Side and his own affair with a teacher when he was 13 years old, some 20 years ago.
The book was published in 2000, and the school library acquired it sometime later.
The parent had addressed what the suit dismisses as a baseless concern about a possible relationship between Aguilera and her daughter. The lawsuit claims the unfounded concerns appear to be linked somehow to the book.
Aguilera's attorney calls it a freedom of speech issue.
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The Chicago Public Schools will not comment, since the lawsuit is a pending legal matter.
