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  "path": "/education/2026/06/02/byrne-elementary-judy-mahoney-paralyzed-clerk",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-02T22:33:59.865Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>After a car crash with a drunken driver left her paralyzed, Byrne Elementary clerk Judy Mahoney overcame barriers to remain employed. Now, Chicago Public Schools may cut the position she fought to keep.</p><p>Mahoney, 54, faces termination June 30 — the official end of the school year — because CPS plans to eliminate the school clerk position at Byrne Elementary in Garfield Ridge.</p><p>She has worked for CPS for 23 years, the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021/5/25/22453306/byrne-elementary-judy-mahoney-clerk-wheelchair-accessible-school-job-funding\" target=\"_blank\" >previous eight years</a> at Byrne Elementary.</p><p>In 2017, a car crash with a drunken driver paralyzed her from the waist down.</p><p>Before her current job, Mahoney worked for more than two decades at Whittier Elementary in Pilsen, but she was forced to switch schools after becoming paralyzed because that school is not wheelchair accessible, she said.</p><p>Dozens of Mahoney’s supporters, including Byrne Elementary students and staff, and Chicago Teachers Union representatives, gathered outside the Garfield Ridge school Tuesday afternoon to demand she keep her job at Byrne.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-8b0000\" name=\"image-8b0000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9523f6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6935x3892+0+367/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F31%2Fd94cbb514cdab46dcebab335ca06%2Fmahoney-260603-005.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9fc8b07/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6935x3892+0+367/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F31%2Fd94cbb514cdab46dcebab335ca06%2Fmahoney-260603-005.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4392172/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6935x3892+0+367/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F31%2Fd94cbb514cdab46dcebab335ca06%2Fmahoney-260603-005.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"MAHONEY_260603-005.jpg\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4392172/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6935x3892+0+367/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F31%2Fd94cbb514cdab46dcebab335ca06%2Fmahoney-260603-005.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/687f83a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6935x3892+0+367/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F31%2Fd94cbb514cdab46dcebab335ca06%2Fmahoney-260603-005.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4392172/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6935x3892+0+367/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F2f%2F31%2Fd94cbb514cdab46dcebab335ca06%2Fmahoney-260603-005.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>The community of Byrne Elementary School rallied for clerk Judy Mahoney, who waswas paralyzed in a car crash and is fighting to keep her job.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>“I am not asking for charity. I am asking for the opportunity to continue working. Every day, I provide valuable services, dedication and hard work in exchange for a paycheck,” Mahoney said.</p><p>“I am the main provider in my household. My job is my livelihood, my purpose and my identity. I need my job now more than ever,” she added. “This fight is more than just my job. It is about ensuring that people with disabilities are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.”</p><p>Bob Faber, Mahoney’s brother-in-law, said the car crash “was, and still is, an emotional and physical disaster for our family. From the first day of her rehab, the No. 1 goal was to recover enough to regain her job. She miraculously returned to work and was successful, eight months\" after the car crash.</p><p>CPS made a “temporary arrangement” for Mahoney following the car crash and opened a second clerk position at Byrne Elementary for her through 2022. The funding for the position, through the CPS central office, was extended through 2026 and is set to expire June 30, according to a source familiar with the matter. CPS said it is willing to help Mahoney find a new position at another school that meets the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.</p><p>“Chicago Public Schools values its more than 40,000 employees and follows all laws as well as labor and individual agreements with employees to ensure supportive and fair working conditions and arrangements, including accommodations, per the American with Disabilities Act,” a spokesperson for CPS said. “Whenever a school position is not renewed, the District supports employees as they search for similar positions within the District.”</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-3c0000\" name=\"image-3c0000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/11824a4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5142x2886+0+272/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F32%2F75%2Ff04e227c441897b318580623b557%2Fmahoney-260603-014.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/488ae49/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5142x2886+0+272/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F32%2F75%2Ff04e227c441897b318580623b557%2Fmahoney-260603-014.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2424005/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5142x2886+0+272/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F32%2F75%2Ff04e227c441897b318580623b557%2Fmahoney-260603-014.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"MAHONEY_260603-014.jpg\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2424005/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5142x2886+0+272/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F32%2F75%2Ff04e227c441897b318580623b557%2Fmahoney-260603-014.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f58b840/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5142x2886+0+272/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F32%2F75%2Ff04e227c441897b318580623b557%2Fmahoney-260603-014.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2424005/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5142x2886+0+272/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F32%2F75%2Ff04e227c441897b318580623b557%2Fmahoney-260603-014.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Supporters embrace each other during a news conference at Byrne Elementary School for chool clerk Judy Mahoney.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>While Byrne Elementary appears to be ADA compliant with wheelchair ramps at its entrances, Frank Lally, an education policy analyst with Access Living, said roughly 50% of CPS schools are fully ADA compliant.</p><p>Brooklyn Casper, a 6th grade student at Byrne Elementary, called Mahoney a “star” of their school. She said Mahoney immediately made her feel that she belonged at the school on her first day.</p><p>“If you have ever walked into our main office, you know it is a very busy place. Phones are ringing, people are walking in and out and there are always millions of things happening at once. But Ms. Mahoney handles the chaos like a pro,” Brooklyn said. “No matter how crowded it gets, she’s always right there helping teachers, students and parents with whatever they need. She always greets us with warm 'good mornings.'”</p><p>Students gathered Tuesday held signs, one reading, “No Mahoney, that’s baloney!” and another reading, \"Accessibility is not optional.”</p><p>Other supporters said Mahoney is an essential employee to the school who helps direct people in the building, reassure parents, comfort students and assist teachers with paperwork and other needs.</p><p>“She is an example of professionalism,” said Robert Gebel, a 6th grade literature teacher. “And the words of encouragement that she offers these kids in a proud, confident voice, reassuring demeanor every day, the students see a lady — a woman in a wheelchair who is confident, a woman who is kind, a woman who is responsible, a woman who is resilient with dignity, and a woman who is successful. Can we even find a better example for our students?”</p>",
  "title": "Byrne Elementary community rallies behind paralyzed clerk facing job loss",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-02T22:33:59.865Z"
}