State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) released the following response to President Trump’s announcement that he would disregard the U.S. Constitution:

“An ever-outraged base is key to the president’s political survival, and our purported leader has shown once again today that the United States Constitution is but a speed bump in his effort to sow discord and anger.

“His most recent announcement is that he will remove the birthright of citizenship to persons born in the United States of America whose parents are not citizens – people like me. 

“I’d love to ignore it, because responses in packaged ‘statements’ like these are the type of fare the president expects and desires when he speaks inflammatorily about people that don’t look like those who fill the rooms at his rallies.

“But I can’t ignore it, because in this month alone, black people were killed for being black, Jews were killed for being Jewish and more than a dozen bombs were shipped across the country to the people Trump has elevated as sub-human adversaries for his political gain. 

“There’s real danger in America; in places of worship, in grocery stores, in newsrooms and in schools. Yet our president is marching thousands of military troops to the border to address a nebulous threat of people he believes dangerous not because of any prior actions but because of the color of their skin.

“This announcement is but another attempt from the president to narrow the definition of ‘American’ and to rile up the extremists that find refuge for their hate in the party of Trump.

“We’re better than this as Americans, and I encourage everyone to utilize their sacred Constitutional rights in the coming weeks and years to guarantee our founding document is not lost forever because of one man’s knack for manufacturing outrage.”

LYONS – State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) is calling for clearer disclosure practices for Illinois teachers after a Lyons School District 103 educator was allowed to teach in multiple suburban school districts while facing charges of attempted murder.

The teacher in question, Andres Rodriguez, allegedly fired seven shots into another man during a traffic dispute in August 2017, one year prior to being hired at Lyons 103. According to the Chicago Tribune, his lawyers claimed the shots were fired in self-defense.

“That this man is still allowed in even one classroom while currently facing charges of attempted murder is obviously troubling in and of itself,” Sandoval said. “But it’s even more troubling that he could slip through the cracks and be hired by another school district without disclosing this charge.”

Sandoval said he would explore legislation to require notification of school districts when a teacher is charged with such a serious crime. He also said the Illinois State Board of Education should be notified of such charges and should have the authority to suspend any teacher certifications while the charges are pending.

The Tribune report showed Joliet 86, Cicero 99 and Lyons 103 were each left in the dark about his history or current employment status at various times.

After Rodriguez was charged with attempted murder in August 2017, he continued to collect paychecks from both Joliet and Cicero. According to the Tribune, he was on paid leave at Joliet and barred from the campus because of the charge, yet Cicero allowed him to begin his new job in a classroom full of students just 12 days after posting bail.

Rodriguez was put on leave by Cicero in April of this year and dismissed in June when they found out about his charges. By August, he had been hired by Lyons. 

“All of this was possible because at no point in this process did anyone have the authority to suspend his teaching certification, and he never faced any requirement to notify any state institutions of this very serious charge,” Sandoval said. “This isn’t acceptable with the amount of information we have at our disposal in 2018. That’s why I am going to look to make these legislative changes.”

Sandoval also said he would direct ISBE to conduct an investigation into the hiring and disclosure practices of the three school districts at which Mr. Rodriguez was employed.

“An investigation is necessary, because we have to find out why exactly this oversight happened if we want to prevent more of them from happening in the future,” he said.