CHICAGO, September 23 — Chicago Public Schools parents and Local School Council members are demanding tougher ethical guardrails against electioneering on school property, after a published report detailed a political nonprofit’s activity at a back-to-school fair on the district’s watch. The Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reported on September 23 that the Common Ground Collective, a nonprofit, set up tables and distributed literature endorsing specific candidates at Peirce Elementary School.
LSC members argued the group should have been barred from electioneering on school grounds, and they have asked CPS to reinforce explicit rules for board members, candidates and outside political organizations for the duration of the election cycle. The timing is not incidental.
CPS is preparing for its first-ever elected school board, a historic shift from a mayor-appointed body to a partially elected one — a change driven by years of community organizing and state legislation. Strategically, the calculus for every faction in the city changes once voters, not the mayor, hold the seats.
A flashpoint at Peirce Elementary
Sitting school board member Ellen Rosenfeld has drawn scrutiny because tax filings list her husband as a board member of the nonprofit tied to the Common Ground Collective. Rosenfeld said the tax filing is inaccurate and defended the group’s actions, noting that multiple organizations — including the Chicago Teachers Union — are actively trying to get their names in front of voters. Both Rosenfeld and another candidate endorsed by the collective are running unopposed.
The broader anxiety runs deeper than one schoolyard. Political groups are spending heavily on digital ads, making it difficult for parents and principals to identify who is funding specific campaign efforts.
That opacity is the connective tissue between the Peirce incident and a separate complaint on the West Side, where an ethics complaint was filed against school board member Michilla Blaise. The Illinois Policy Institute alleged she violated rules against conducting political activity during official work by posting a social media video of students. Blaise denied the campaign allegations, explaining she shared the clip because it was “cute,” but quickly took it down out of respect for student privacy.
CPS tightens the guidance
CPS has issued updated guidance to principals and Local School Councils to clarify strict boundaries against electioneering on school grounds. The Sun-Times and WBEZ report the guidance emphasizes that school grounds must remain neutral spaces. The district has not released the full text of the updated guidance, and officials have not announced further disciplinary actions.
What this signals is a district trying to write the rules of engagement before the campaign fully consumes them. Parents and LSC members say the integrity of school environments must be protected from political activity; supporters of the groups involved argue they are exercising free speech and informing voters.
The Common Ground Collective has not publicly commented beyond Rosenfeld’s defense. The ethics complaint against Blaise remains under review. The stakes extend well past signage at a school fair.
The election is expected to draw heightened attention given the district’s size — the nation’s third-largest, serving more than 300,000 students — and the national spotlight on school governance. The outcome could reshape CPS leadership and its policies on funding, school closures and charter schools.
Watch the compliance fight next. Parents are vowing to monitor enforcement, and the election date is approaching with the district’s neutrality rules still untested in practice.
