Sharon Schmidt, teacher
Steinmetz College Prep High School
3030 N. Mobile Avenue
Chicago IL 60634
March 6, 2025
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter serves as a rebuttal to the “Performance Improvement Process” First Warning issued to me on March 5, 2025, by Steinmetz Principal Anna Vilchez.
I disagree with everything on the document and nearly everything Principal Vilchez said in a meeting held on March 5. Chicago Teachers Union Field Representative Eden McCauslin and Meyer Reynolds, a Steinmetz assistant principal, also attended the meeting at 8 a.m. in the principal’s office.
On the “Performance Improvement Process” Principal Vilchez noted that because I didn’t alter my personal GoFundMe page per her directive that two corrective action categories found in the Board’s Misconduct/Discipline Matrix apply to me:
1. H-19 ETHICS – GIFTS: Accepting anything of value, including, but not limited to, a gift, favor, loan, or promise of future employment, based upon any explicit or implicit mutual understanding that actions will be influenced.
2. P5 INSUBORDINATION: Refusal to carry out a rule, order, or directive from a supervisor related to the performance of one’s duty, including refusing to participate in or avoiding any part of the REACH evaluation process; Leaving any duty assignment without permission.
The misconduct charges do not apply to me.
Regarding “H-19 ETHICS,” I have not accepted anything of value based upon any explicit or implicit mutual understanding that actions will be influenced. My fundraiser is not based on my being an employee of the Board of Education and a teacher at Steinmetz. I am not explicitly or implicitly suggesting to anyone that their donation will influence me. As a teacher without any leadership roles, I have no influence. This misconduct code does not apply to me.
Regarding “P5 INSUBORDINATION,” I did not refuse to carry out a rule, order, or directive from a supervisor related to the performance of my duty, including refusing to participate in or avoiding any part of the REACH evaluation process. I did not leave any duty assignment without permission. While I refused to follow the principal’s directive to alter my GoFundMe page, that is not insubordination. The principal does not have jurisdiction over the things I do that are not related to my employment. In addition, I did not violate any CPS Ethics Code or Board policy. There is no valid reason for me to remove or alter the page.
During the meeting, the principal asserted that she had verified with Jennifer Chan, Ethics Advisor at Board of Education, and CPS human resource administrator Shaquille Blakey that I violated a policy by publishing on my GoFundMe page 1) a picture showing the inside of Steinmetz and 2) the name of Steinmetz. I don’t believe that these Board administrators said this due to misinformation in an earlier email sent by Principal Vilchez.
Principal Vilchez sent an email to the Steinmetz staff on Monday, February 24, subject line “CPS Office of Ethics,” in which she stated, “I want to remind everyone that the CPS Office of Ethics has clear guidelines regarding the use of school photos and the school’s name. According to CPS policy images of a CPS school—both interior and exterior—as well as the school’s name, may not be used for GoFundMe pages or any other fundraising platforms.”
These statements are false. There are no guidelines, clear or otherwise, regarding the use of school photos and the school’s name. In addition, there is no CPS policy that states that images of a CPS school—both interior and exterior—as well as the school’s name, may not be used for GoFundMe pages or any other fundraising platforms.
On March 6, as I signed the receipt of the “Performance Improvement Process,” Principal Vilchez said that that language in her email came from “higher ups” in CPS.
The “Ethical Standard” that Principal Vilchez cited, as if I violated it, is “Board Property and Funds.” In the “Performance Improvement Process” document, Principal Vilchez copied the following language from the standard: “Board property and funds shall be used only for Board purposes and in the manner specified or directed by the Board. No misuse of Board property or funds shall be permitted.”
I did not violate this standard. My photo and the school name are not Board property.
Under the section of the “Performance Improvement Process” in which the directions are to “Follow Up: Describe specifically any changes that need to occur to resolve the deficiency as well as any assistance that will be provided to support needed changes, if any,” Principal Vilchez listed the following:
1. Adhere to the CPS Board Policy of Ethics
a. Policy was emailed again to the teacher and Field Rep by the principal at their request (email sent 3/5/35).
2. Follow the directive from CPS to remove the image and name of the school as
required by the CPS Office of Ethics and Board Policy.
My response is that I do adhere to the CPS Board Policy of Ethics. I have not violated any ethics policies. I will not remove or alter the image and remove the name Steinmetz from my GoFundMe page unless I hear this from a higher authority who can show me a relevant policy.
A side note about myself as a journalist
In the meeting with Principal Vilchez I told her that between the years of 1998 and 2020 I reported many stories about the Chicago Public Schools for Substance Newspaper. (Substance covers public education in Chicago. It was a monthly print newspaper from 1975 to 2012, then became an online news service. My late husband was a founder of the paper and its long-time editor. I am the owner.)
Over those 22 years, I published more than 200 stories in Substance. Many of my news reports and commentaries included photos of school buildings and photos taken inside school buildings. Some of the stories I published involved the Local School Councils, principals, and network chiefs of schools where I taught. I referred to all places and people by name.
I told Principal Vilchez this to share that I have much experience with the Chicago Public Schools, its various departments, and news stories with large implications. While I haven’t been posting new content to the Substance News site for a few years, it remains active so that people may access our archives and to memorialize my late husband.
My GoFundMe page raises money for two teachers’ legal fees, as they have filed a defamation lawsuit against Cornell Davis, a Steinmetz JROTC instructor. While their suit is public information and has been posted on social media, my guess is that the GoFundMe page is threatening to Principal Vilchez as it raises more publicity. I told her that I am certain a news story about the issues faced by my Steinmetz teacher colleagues would be widely read.
Sincerely,
Sharon Schmidt
School Truth 
Leave a comment