Chicago schools allegedly directed teachers to assign passing grades to migrants regardless of their academic performance.

A new report alleges that Chicago Public Schools teachers were instructed by school officials to give migrant students passing grades and promote them to the next grade, regardless of their severe academic deficiencies.

Numerous educators from various schools within the district contacted WGN News to reveal the concerning pattern.

Despite testing at a "kindergarten level," one student was given a "C" in all her grades and passed along to the third grade, according to one teacher.

During a training session, a teacher was informed by another teacher that school officials instructed him to promote migrant students to the next grade.

Teachers have faced challenges due to the influx of non-English speaking students, they stated.

The report states that numerous migrants have settled in Black neighborhoods, where schools often lack programs for non-English speakers.

According to WGN News' Sylvia Snowden, "The students have been placed with teachers or in classrooms where no one speaks Spanish, resulting in a significant language barrier."

Snowden stated that one teacher had to use Google Translate and rely on a Spanish teacher to translate for the entire year in order to communicate with a migrant student.

Since August 2022, at least 48,000 migrants have been transported to Chicago from the Texas border, according to the city.

Dr. Pedro Martinez, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, stated on WGN that both migrant and U.S. students are held to the same academic standards. He added that over 90% of schools have bilingual support programs.

Dr. Martinez was unaware of the WGN investigation when making those comments, according to Snowden.

Despite our reporting, a CPS spokesperson admitted that the district's promotion guidelines are adjusted to accommodate the unique requirements of English Language Learners, according to WGN.

The Chicago Public Schools aim to create a challenging, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all students, including those who have recently moved to Chicago with their families from various parts of the world. As a district, we hold high expectations for all students and have policies and promotion guidelines in place that are adapted to meet the unique needs of our English language learners. We also offer in-school, after-school, and year-round interventions, developed in collaboration with the principal, counselor, teacher, and parents, to address the learning deficiencies of our students as assessed.

The district asserted that ESL students who joined the school in the final quarter of the academic year were placed in summer school programs to enhance their English proficiency. However, teachers who spoke to WGN refuted this claim, stating that none of their students were enrolled in summer school.

Chicago Public Schools declined to comment on Planet Chronicle Digital's request.