Chicago Teachers Union provides members with ‘Sanctuary Schools and Sanctuary Employer’ guidance, includes a ‘CTU Sanctuary Toolkit 2025’ and soft lockdown slide presentation for students.

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) provides its members with “Sanctuary Schools and Sanctuary Employer” guidance which also includes a “CTU Sanctuary Toolkit 2025,” “ICE Safety Plan,” and a soft lockdown slide presentation to give to students if ICE agents come to the school.

According to its website, in 2019, the union “fought for and won Sanctuary Schools and Sanctuary Employer language to protect our students, their families, and our members.” The union highlights for its members “contract language” so that they can be “prepared to utilize these protections to keep our students, their families and our members safe.” The webpage includes a “CTU Sanctuary Toolkit 2025” and “ICE Safety Plan.”

The “CTU Sanctuary Toolkit 2025” includes sections such as “Organizing a Sanctuary Team at your School: Things to Consider,” a “Joint CTU/CPS Sanctuary Letter,” and “ICE Clothing & Identifies.” The document states that when setting up a building sanctuary team, they should identify a group of people who “care about human rights, Black Student Union, LGBTQIA+, racial justice, restorative justice or the concept of sanctuary.”

The accompanying document titled “ICE Safety Plan” includes steps for schools and staff to take if ICE comes to the school and who is responsible for those steps. Included in the plan is an “All-Call to parents notifying them of ICE Presence in the community” and putting students into a soft lockdown.

The document also includes a slide presentation for students titled “ICE Soft Lockdown Slides” which is to be used when the school goes into a soft lockdown if ICE comes to the school. One slides states that the school is a “Sanctuary School” and that it will “will not assist ICE with enforcement” and “that we will fight to ensure the safety of all students.”

Another slide instructs students to “Stay off” because “posting on social media can do more harm than good” and that it could “put our school community and Gage Park community more at risk for detainment and/or arrest.”