The head of special education at Chicago Public Schools has stepped down following pressure for her ouster over the use of physical restraint in schools and other criticism of how the district has treated students with disabilities.

Stephanie Jones, chief of the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services, or ODLSS, left her role Friday, according to a CPS spokesperson. Richard Smith, most recently an administrator within that office, will take over as interim chief as the district conducts a nationwide search for her replacement.

“We sincerely thank Dr. Jones for her commitment to serving students in Chicago with diverse learning needs, and we wish her well in her future endeavors,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement that did not state why Jones resigned. “CPS, just like other employers, does not share the details of personnel matters as we are committed to protecting the privacy and rights of our employees.”

Last week, the Chicago Teachers Union demanded Jones resign for “dismal failures to protect the district’s most vulnerable students,” alleging violation of special education laws, a “toxic workplace that has left the department in shambles” and failure to fulfill the legal requirements on supporting students with disabilities. The union’s House of Delegates took a vote of no confidence in her.

“Tonight our members said, enough,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates wrote in a statement after the vote. “Enough with the lack of services and support, enough with ignoring the needs of our students, and enough with violating state law.”

Special education advocates and the CTU have criticized Jones for several years, including over the ongoing state oversight after CPS was found to have denied services to students with disabilities, and over recent disclosure that the district violated state laws on the use of physical restraint and isolation of students.

The Illinois State Board of Education has warned the district four times to comply with state law on physical restraint, most recently in April threatening to place CPS on probation if the violations are not remedied.

Violations alleged by the state agency range from CPS allowing untrained staff members to restrain students unnecessarily — sometimes for more than an hour or through the use of prohibited methods — to the district’s failure to notify parents and review and report all incidents to ISBE.

Another ISBE official had written CPS in November to say that its “complete disregard for the health and safety of its students and blatant violation of state law is unconscionable.” The state’s investigation, sparked by violations made apparent in the district’s own reporting of incidents, found issues “jeopardizing the health and safety of CPS students and staff” that remained ongoing at the time of the April 18 letter.