CHICAGO (WGN) — The head volleyball coach at a Chicago high school has resigned from her position after criticism that followed disparaging comments made on her radio show about vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s son, the district confirmed.
The incident happened Aug. 22 during a local radio show co-hosted by the now-former Chicago Public Schools coach Amy Jacobson. Jacobson’s comments came the day after Walz’s son, Gus, captured attention with his emotional reaction to seeing his dad onstage at the Democratic National Convention.
“That’s my dad!” the 17-year-old could be seen saying, with tears streaming down his face, as his father accepted his party’s nomination.
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On the “Chicago’s Morning Answer” radio show, Jacobson mimicked Gus Walz’s emotional reaction as co-host Dan Proft played a 1994 “Saturday Night Live” sketch. In the sketch, comedian Chris Farley portrayed a young, enthusiastic Andrew Giuliani, who was excitedly praising his father, Rudy Giuliani, played by comedian Kevin Nealon.
“That’s exactly what that Walz kid did,” Proft said, in reference to the “SNL” sketch. “I mean, he’s (Gus Walz) not 11. He’s 17.”
The comments by the hosts received harsh criticism, prompting Chicago Public Schools to release the following statement, in part: “As a system, we are committed to serving all students and we strive to ensure a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment, free of any bias, discrimination or harassment. We strongly disagree with any remarks contrary to those values.”
Gus Walz lives with a learning disorder that’s said to limit a person’s ability to read social cues. In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE earlier this month, Tim and Gwen Walz described the teen’s condition as his “secret power.”
“When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates. Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself. When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have,” the family’s statement said. “Like so many American families, it took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up. It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback — it’s his secret power.”
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Critics called Jacobson’s characterization insensitive. The Chicago Tribune was first to report the demand by Amundsen parents to fire Jacobson from her coaching position. Her biography on the school’s website, since removed, previously indicated that she’d been involved with the volleyball program for several years and has two sons on the varsity team. One parent quoted by the Tribune said the high school is “definitely a place where there are lots of kids with disabilities in the building.”
Jacobson later publicly apologized, saying on air that she would have “reacted differently if I had the additional information,” adding: “I had no idea he had any type of learning disability or ADHD.”
Proft appears to have lost his board position with Envision Unlimited, an organization that describes itself as providing care for people with intellectual, developmental and psychiatric disabilities, as a consequence of his remarks. In a statement released Sunday and provided to WGN, the organization (without naming Proft) said a board member, “made comments that were wholly inconsistent with our values and code of ethics as an organization and at their core insensitive and insulting to the very people and families that we serve.”
“We immediately convened our board’s executive committee to discuss the situation and unanimously decided to remove this individual from our board,” the statement said.
Proft’s name no longer appears on the organization’s website.
