The Crusader Newspaper Group

Pfleger and principal’s association head demand reinstatement of Lindblom principal

Photo caption: Lindblom Math & Science Academy and (bottom left inset) Father Pfleger (left) standing with principal Abdul Muhammad (right). 

‘Bogus’ charges against Principal Abdul Muhammad are racist and false, they say

Upset that mostly white Lindblom teachers voted to remove Lindblom Math & Science Academy principal Abdul Muhammad based on 82 bogus, trumped-up charges, Father Michael Pfleger called on CPS to immediately reinstate him and to cease “railroading” Black principals out of office.

On Sunday, May 21, before he began his St. Sabina Academy graduation service, Pfleger made those demands. Not only did he call for Muhammad, who is Black, to be reinstated to his position as principal, Pfleger wants to know why six other Black principals were removed from high schools this year.

William Goodwin 10
Troy LaRaviere

Pfleger isn’t alone in his demands to have Muhammad reinstated as Lindblom’s principal. Troy LaRaviere, president of the Chicago Principals and Administrator’s Association, is not only calling for Muhammad to be restored to his position, but he also wants an investigation conducted of Muhammad’s mostly white accusers.

If CPS doesn’t restore Muhammad, who was removed on March 31, 2023, to his position, Pfleger said he and his supporters will bring the fight for justice to the school’s doorsteps.

Recently Pfleger held a town hall meeting with LaRaviere, who explained Muhammad’s plight. Pfleger said he is organizing with supporters of Muhammad. He also wonders why they removed him when Muhammad “came in and turned that school around.”

“The students love him,” Pfleger said. “The parents love him, but because he was bringing some discipline and some order, CPS decided he had to go.”

Looking at the racial makeup of the Lindblom faculty, Pfleger said there are 75 percent African American students, 90 percent white teachers and an African American principal.

“We are demanding that CPS put him back in position now as the principal. If not, we all are going to go over to Lindblom because if he ain’t [sic] going to be there [sic] ain’t nobody going to be there,” said Pfleger. “They have removed six Black principals from CPS in the last year. Maybe it’s time to remove (CPS/CEO) Pedro Martinez.”

Referring to the six Black principals who have been removed, LaRaviere said, “Most of them don’t know why they were removed. That’s the strange thing about CPS.” He said CPS does not give due process to the principals in removing them.

“They use the excuse that there is an ongoing investigation. That way they don’t have to tell you what these charges are,” LaRaviere said. In the case of Muhammad, he said, “We used our lawyers to force them to give the charges,” which he called “petty, trifling and meaningless,” referring to the 82 charges filed against Muhammad.

He revealed some of the charges filed against Muhammad, “like people not being invited to meetings, or some kid saying a staff member took her to a Citgo gas station, when the kid was just telling that to her mother because the mother caught her on GPS at the Citgo.

“When the mother asked her where was she, the student said, ‘I’m with the principal.’” That, LaRaviere said, was not true. “She was trying to calm her mother down. Of course, they found out that was not true, but all they wanted were accusations…all 82 of them.

“The CPS Law Department did very little to check the validity of the accusations that were given to them, the seven white teachers and the one Black clerk. They did not interview 28 people who could have shown that the testimonies given by the white teachers were false. There are scores of documents showing that their testimonies were false. They failed to do that.”

LaRaviere said before Muhammad came to Lindblom, those teachers who allegedly orchestrated his removal had emailed members of the Local Advisory Committee’s Principal Selection Committee asking them not to hire him, and were allegedly led by Chicago Teachers Union activist Andrew Heiserman, who teaches math at Lindblom.

LaRaviere said their lies about Muhammad gave the CPS Law Department the ammunition it needed to “launch a fishing expedition using unethical, one-sided investigative practices indisputably aimed at prejudicing Mr. Muhammad and convicting him without any credible evidence.

“Mr. Muhammad was targeted and victimized by internal corruption, racism, religious bigotry and deep conflicts of interests,” said LaRaviere. “Mr. Muhammad’s case is part of a larger, troubling phenomenon of railroading Black principals.”

When asked if CPS removed Muhammad because he is Black and a Muslim, LaRaviere said, “I think they did it because they don’t want to be held accountable by a strong principal. He came in and held people accountable to do the right thing for kids.”

LaRaviere said the system in place when Muhammad arrived focused on adults, but Muhammad brought in processes, procedures and systems that ensured they serve children. “That is not what they want,” LaRaviere said,

“I think the fact that he is Muslim” also played a part in his removal. “I don’t have to think. We saw emails circulated (by the mostly white teachers) about his religion,” LaRaviere said. He saw emails addressed to Local School Council (LSC) members talking about Muhammad’s religion and calling on the LSC not to hire him.

“We saw Facebook chats. We don’t have to think their actions were racist. We witnessed people trying to lobby the LSC to not hire him because he was a Muslim.” Asked if these were white teachers echoing these racist remarks, LaRaviere said, “There were seven white teachers, and they recruited the Black clerk to assist them with their scheme. This was led by white teachers and aided by the Chicago Teachers Union.”

Several emails were sent to both CPS and CTU. The Chicago Crusader received the following statement:

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Statement (SPOX)

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) strives to make sure all our schools have strong leaders dedicated to the success of their staff, students and communities. The District has procedures in place to investigate allegations of staff misconduct, give proper due process to its employees, and make fair employment decisions. We are confident in the decisions made by the leaders of our District.

As always, every allegation made about a staff member is referred to the appropriate investigative body for review, including the Office of Inspector General, the District’s Law Department, the Equal Opportunity Compliance Office, or the Office of Student Protections. CPS, just like other employers, does not share the details of personnel matters or ongoing investigations, as we are committed to protecting the privacy and rights of our employees and allowing an investigation to proceed without disruption. Such investigations take time and preclude us from providing ongoing and detailed updates.

As a District, we remain committed to our core values, which include creating and maintaining a safe, equitable work environment, free of harassment, bias, or harm of any kind. Speculation and finger pointing about a personnel matter undermines District processes and the integrity of team members dedicated to the well-being and success of our CPS students, families, and colleagues.

While there are always challenges when there is a leadership change at a school, there is an experienced Administrator-in-Charge (AIC) leading Lindblom, and we are confident that the leadership team and staff are working hard to serve students and families and ensure continued success. The AIC is working with staff and students to maintain a positive school culture and climate. Staff and students are looking forward to celebrating year-end activities, such as prom and graduation.

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