Daddy Dearest: Union Official Scamming the System
pictures sent to Substance News seem to show Lauren Bianchi, a Chicago Teachers Union official and Environmental activist, using Dealer Plates and does not have a city sticker working as a Chicago Public Schools teacher.Lauren Bianchi, a Chicago Teachers Union official and Environmental activist, uses Dealer Plates and does not have a city sticker working as a Chicago Public Schools teacher.
Multiple Chicago Eastside residents have contacted Substance News regarding what seems like a tax dodger and scofflaw.
Pictures show what sources have identified as Bianchi’s car that she drives to school every day, clearly showing dealer plate DL 1708 on an older Honda Pilot. A picture of the front windshield shows no city sticker on the car.
pictures sent to Substance News seem to show Lauren Bianchi, a Chicago Teachers Union official and Environmental activist, using Dealer Plates and does not have a city sticker working as a Chicago Public Schools teacher.
Bianchi is a CPS employee, meaning she must comply with all City employment rules, including being a resident of Chicago. (Section 502.1, Chicago Board of Education Board Report 18-0627-PO4)
Not having a city sticker means she is not paying the city vehicle tax or she is not a city resident. Not having a state license means she is not paying the state vehicle tax or she is not a state resident.
Not having proper plates or stickers on a car means that the vehicle Bianchi is driving to work every day is not properly registered in Illinois.
It is a misdemeanor for any person to operate, or for any owner knowingly to permit to be operated, any vehicle required by the Illinois Vehicle Code to be registered in Illinois unless the vehicle displays proper Illinois registration.
A more interesting twist would be whether Lauren Bianchi declared secondary employment with CPS when hired since she is acting as a Car Dealer.
We contacted CTU Vice President Jackson Potter for a statement for the Union on this matter and he gave us a disconnected phone number as his official statement on the matter ... Megan Kowalski 616-602-0104
A quick internet search found a Tom Bianchi, who operates a used car dealership in Mundelein, Illinois. We are trying to confirm if this is the dealership that issued the plates used by Bianchi. We will update the story when we get more information on the owner of the plates and who Tom Bianchi is in relation to Lauren Bianchi. Unconfirmed reports say he is her father.
According to the Illinois Administrative Code, dealer plates are not to be displayed on any vehicle used continuously for 25 or more days as a personal vehicle by any person, not an agent, servant or employee of the dealer owning such special plate. Furthermore, the issuing dealership must have records of every person using dealer plates. (Illinois Administrative Code Title 92 Chapter 2 Section 1010.450 Special Plates)
The information comes on the heels of Bianchi almost being terminated for her taking students on unauthorized trips and bringing unauthorized individuals into school to train children in Civil Disobedience during the school day. Instead of being terminated, she was given a warning resolution, which is a last chance before being fired.
The Board of Education did not fire her, stating “We will continue to be supportive of all our teachers who promote education that is relevant and sensitive to the environments of our students and the overall status of their communities. So in no way do we want to move away from that commitment,” Chicago School Board President Miguel del Valle added.
CPS officials said in a statement after the vote that they hope the warnings “will not only address the behavior of these teachers but ensure that promoting civic engagement among school communities is done appropriately and with due regard for student safety.”
CPS Policy statement on Civic Engaganemt is clear that teachers are responsible to foster learning experiences that build the habits necessary for students to effectively contribute to and participate in the economic life of their communities and world.
Not paying state, city, and county taxes on a car you drive every day to work is probably not a good example of contributing to the community's economic welfare.
Bianchi is also the Chairperson of the Climate Justice Committee with the Chicago Teachers Union while driving an old foreign-made SUV.
Not environmentally friendly at all.
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Sources for Report
625 ILCS 5/ Illinois Vehicle Code
https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1815&ChapterID=49
Illinois Administrative Code Title 92 Chapter 2 Section 1010.450 Special Plates Plates https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/092/092010100E04500R.html
Residency for All Employees of The Board of Education Section 502.1 | Board Report 18-0627-PO4 | Date Adopted June 27, 2018 https://www.cps.edu/sites/cps-policy-rules/policies/500/502/502-1/
CPS Board Rejects Move to Fire Teachers for Encouraging Students' Environmental Activism - George Washington High School teachers Lauren Bianchi and Chuck Stark should instead receive warnings and must agree to training related to districts rules, the board ruled unanimously Wednesday By Brett Chase • Published July 28, 2022 https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/cps-board-rejects-move-to-fire-teachers-for-encouraging-students-environmental-activism/2900448/
