CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools announced Friday that Jones College Prep Principal Joseph Powers has been removed from “principal duties, effective immediately, pending the results” of an investigation into his response to a student who came to school on Halloween dressed in a German military uniform, goose-stepped across a stage during a costume contest and gave a Nazi salute.
The Chicago Teachers Union on Friday had called for his removal and students had planned to stage a walkout from class Monday.
“As many of you may have heard, seen, or read, there was an incident earlier this week where a member of one of our school communities wore a German military uniform to school as a Halloween costume — an act that was widely recognized by many students, staff and members of our broader CPS community as antisemitic. This incident caused harm to many students and staff, and it is completely inconsistent with our values as a school district,” said Pedro Martinez, CPS chief executive officer. “In response, CPS has launched a full investigation into the incident in accordance with our district’s protocols for processing bias-based harm. ... Furthermore, CPS has removed the school’s leader from their principal duties, effective immediately, pending the results of that investigation.”
