The Chicago Board of Education will hold a special meeting Thursday to consider a resolution to pressure a charter school operator to keep seven schools open that it plans to close in June.

The resolution requires Acero Schools, a charter network of 15 campuses, to appear before the board at a date yet to be determined to discuss alternatives to the closures. He also threatens Acero, saying the contract renewal of its eight other schools could be jeopardized if the closures continue.

Charter operators are private organizations that receive public funds to operate public charter schools. Acero’s contract expires in June 2026.

The special meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in a building owned by Chicago Public Schools at 4655 S Dearborn St. The board’s next regular monthly meeting will be held Dec. 12. Typically, the November and December meetings are combined.

This will be the third meeting of board members chosen by Mayor Brandon Johnson after his first appointment. the board of directors resigned in October. One of these newly appointed members, the president, resigned and now only six members sit on the board of directors, which is a sufficient quorum for doing business.

A new board of directors of 21 members, partly elected and partly appointed, will be sitting in Januarybut some of the current members could stay.

The resolution to “maintain Acero Attendance Centers,” says the closures, which will affect approximately 2,000 students and 270 staff, “could cause significant disruption and harm” and “are inconsistent with the Board’s educational mission and question whether the Board should renew Acero’s charter school agreement in 2026.”

In addition to discussing the Acero resolution, the board will adopt a resolution recognizing that “the 2024 presidential election may have caused fear, worry, confusion, sadness, anger or anxiety among CPS staff, students and their families.”

It goes on to say that the school district is committed to being a place where all students are welcome and that it “will not provide assistance to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law. Therefore, ICE will not be permitted access to CPS facilities or personnel except in the rare case where CPS receives a criminal warrant.

The board also plans to meet behind closed doors to discuss contract negotiations. The school district has been in negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union since the spring. The directors’ association also negotiates a contract.

Sarah Karp covers education for WBEZ.