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.
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.
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 a C 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 Engagement 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.
#neopotism #scofflaw #chicagoteachersunion
