CHICAGO—In a landmark move for educational justice and labor rights, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 297 into law. The measure provides long-overdue protections to Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principals and assistant principals, ensuring fair arbitration in contract disputes and safeguarding them from unchecked removals.
The legislation, authored by State Rep. William “Will” Davis (D-Hazel Crest) and championed in the Senate by Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago), requires that when labor negotiations stall, existing terms of employment remain in place, and neutral arbitration replaces stalemates, protecting administrators from arbitrary or retaliatory dismissals.
“Labor agreements should happen as the result of true, good-faith negotiations,” said Sen. Preston in Springfield, explaining the value of the bill to his colleagues. “This plan lays out a fair framework to allow principals in our state’s largest school district to enjoy the same right to a fair bargaining process as other public employees,” he stated in a news release.
For many in the Black education community, this legislation represents more than labor reform—it is a shield against what they describe as years of racial bias and systemic targeting of Black school leaders.
Gerald Morrow, a veteran educator and former principal at both Paul Robeson (now closed) and Dunbar Vocational Career Academy high schools, is one such leader. Abruptly removed from his post in December 2022 without explanation, Mr. Morrow has been calling for transparency and justice ever since.
Photo: gov.illinois.gov
“I’ve been committed to this work, even if it meant persecution,” Mr. Morrow told The Final Call in an exclusive interview prior to the new law. “If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it again.”
At Robeson High School, Mr. Morrow built a daycare for student mothers and restored vital career and technical education programs. At Dunbar High School, he helped double enrollment and created career pipelines designed to emulate the economic self-sufficiency of Black Wall Street. But his initiatives were repeatedly blocked—by CPS and unions alike.
“They didn’t want our children to be certified journeymen,” he said. “They were fine with ‘introductory’ programs—but not mastery,” he charged.
Now working with grassroots groups, Mr. Morrow advocates for an educational agenda that includes college, trades, and entrepreneurship. His unexplained removal—like that of Abdul Muhammad of Lindblom Math and Science Academy, Kimberly Gibson of Harriet Tubman Elementary, and Troy LaRaviere of Blaine Elementary—represents a troubling pattern.
“We don’t know the standard, the process, or even who’s on the decision-making team,” Mr. Morrow said. “It mirrors the need for an independent review board, much like what’s been demanded of the Chicago Police Department.”
As The Final Call reported in January, Mr. Muhammad stands as a rare example of a principal who was able to pierce CPS’s wall of silence. Following national media coverage and podcast interviews, sustained public outcry, and legal pressure, Mr. Muhammad eventually obtained the details behind his dismissal—information typically withheld in such cases.
His fight underscores the uphill battle many principals, not just Black principals, face when challenging opaque and often punitive administrative actions.
Governor Pritzker’s signing of HB 297 on March 22 marked a monumental milestone for the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA), an organization that only recently gained union recognition but has quickly moved to shape policy. For the first time in CPS history, principals and assistant principals now have enforceable collective bargaining rights.
“This law guarantees what should have been true all along—principals and assistant principals deserve a fair, neutral process in contract negotiations,” said CPAA President Troy LaRaviere. “This victory is for every school leader who continues to stand up for their schools, their students, and their profession.”
“This law prevents unnecessary delays, ensures a fair resolution process, and allows us to focus on what truly matters—creating the best possible learning environments for our students,” added CPAA’s Chief of Staff Kia Banks.
The new law comes as CPAA begins negotiations for its first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). If talks reach an impasse, binding arbitration will now be the mandated path forward—avoiding delays and disruption to school leadership and student outcomes.
Mr. LaRaviere credited years of advocacy and organizing: “Our collective action as unions has proven that when we stand united, we are unstoppable.”
Throughout the legislative battle, stories of displaced Black principals remained central. Leaders like Morrow, Muhammad, Gibson, and Nichols have become symbolic of a larger fight against opaque processes and racially inequitable discipline within CPS.
“This isn’t just about contracts—it’s about respect and protection for Black leadership,” said one CPAA board member. “Principals are often the backbone of our communities. When they’re pushed out without cause, the whole school suffers.”
The CPAA sees this legislative win not as an endpoint, but as a launchpad. With collective bargaining rights now enshrined in law, the focus shifts to ensuring those rights lead to real gains—equitable staffing, safer schools, and stronger community ties.
“This victory is just the beginning,” said Mr. LaRaviere. “Now, we negotiate with the confidence that our voices will be heard, our efforts respected, and our rights protected.”
To further underscore the issue, a 2019 Chicago Reader article titled “How to Get Rid of a CPS Principal” highlights that while principals under contract are entitled to formal termination hearings, CPS has, in some cases, employed alternative strategies that circumvent those procedures.
These tactics include reassignments, administrative leave, or other methods that effectively remove principals without the transparency of a formal hearing.
Now that HB 297 is law, its deeper significance echoes through the halls of Chicago schools: that Black leadership must be respected, protected, and heard. And for the students they serve, it offers renewed hope that justice in education is not just a slogan—but a right worth fighting for.