Jillian Rose Bernas wonders where the outrage is in the wake of the Chicago Tribune special investigation that found numerous Chicago Public School students were sexually preyed upon by school district employees.
“I have not heard any outrage following this report on sexual abuse in the largest school system in the state of Illinois from the current state representative in my district, Michelle Mussman,” Bernas told the North Cook News. “Instead, she has voted to send additional tax dollars from our community to pay the administrative costs of the Chicago Public Schools where there are systematic failures to protect children entrusted to its care.”
Bernas argues that state lawmakers should have long ago installed many more checks and balances to the CPS system in all the years they have come together to bail out the long-troubled system.
“Legislators, like my opponent, bailed out Chicago Public Schools because they are looking out for themselves and their special interest allies supporting their re-election campaigns this November,” said Bernas, who is set to face off against Mussman (D-Schaumburg) in the 55th District in November’s general election.
Bernas said she sees what’s happening at CPS and in Springfield, with the #Metoo scandal that has recently ensnared at least four close associates of House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) on allegations of sexual harassment, as being symbolic of leaders’ failure to adequately hold one another accountable.
“There is sexual harassment in Springfield, ignored sexual abuse in schools, exploding effective tax rates, $250 billion in debt, and the worst credit rating in the nation,” she said of all the major issues now plaguing the state. “It is all part of the same problem, a culture of corruption in Springfield. My community sent Michelle Mussman to Springfield eight years ago to do something about this culture. She hasn’t and she won’t, and now she is a part of it.”
Bernas’ said the solution seems obvious to her.
“We need to elect a new representative to stand up to leaders in Springfield and their callous indifference to how their decisions affect our lives,” she said.
She added proposals like House Bill 5914 put forth by Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills), which would require the Illinois State Board of Education to “be aware of and monitor, the process of each individual background check” conducted by school districts and also make the act of an authority figure engaging in a sexual relationship with a student a criminal act, regardless of age, a step in the right direction.
“I am going to Springfield to stand with legislators proposing a bill that will strongly discipline adults found to have abused students in school systems and make this information available to other school districts, along with other changes that will bring transparency and accountability to CPS,” she said. “Children are having their lives devastated because politicians hand over dollars with no interest in the accountability of the administration of schools.”
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