Chicago Inspector General School Report Reveals 1,735 Reported Sexual Misconduct Cases in Four Years
Chicago According to a report by a, 1,735 cases of sexual misconduct between students and adults in public schools (CPS), were reported over the past four-years. report by the Chicago Board of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Hundreds of cases couldn’t substantiate sex abuse allegations, 302 discovered substantial policy violations, and at least 16 resulted in criminal charges.
The report states that there is still a backlog of 349 cases.
According to OIG, 2022 saw one sexual misconduct complaint closed for every 666 CPS teachers.
CPS also reported that 77 percent of its $1.49 Billion in pandemic relief funds was spent on increasing employee salaries.
However, many of these cases haven’t resulted in criminal charges, the report stated. The lack of criminal charges doesn’t mean accused adults didn’t commit sexual abuseThe report stated that. It just means there wasn’t enough evidence to get a conviction.
“Beyond the higher burden of proof in the criminal justice system, there are several reasons why conduct the SAU [Sexual Allegations Unit] determines to be a criminal violation does not result in criminal charges,” According to the report.
Allegations of abuse
The Office of Inspector General reviewed thousands of calls and texts in one case. The investigation concluded that the victim was a teacher of special education. “groomed” A 8th-grade student who eventually had sex.
Initial, the student denied having been involved in sexual encounters with him. However, he eventually admitted to it. The teacher pleaded guilty in criminal sexual abuse.
After turning 18, another student spoke out about his past abuse.
The Inspector General’s Office unearthed details in another case but there was not enough evidence to get a criminal conviction.
Multiple sexual assaults were committed by a teacher against a female student. The student supported her claims with text messages, Instagram and Remind, a CPS-approved communications app.
According to the report, the teacher begged student not to disclose the abuse.
“we r talking about my entire life here … Please … I’m begging u …,” He told her via text.
According to the report, another teacher bought student alcohol and smoked cannabis around her. She was also raped by him and threatened with murder when he found out about it.
Another teacher dropped his sweatpants repeatedly in front of a girl, and pulled the pants up when other people passed. When the student told CPS staff, the school didn’t take action.
Then, a colleague blamed her “for wearing provocative clothing, implying that she brought the problem on herself,” The report says so. The harassment was only reported to social media by the student who received assistance.
The report states that another teacher groomed female students in his class from 2015 to 2020. According to the report, he made hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls, touched students and made sexual remarks.
The list goes on.
Many of the incidents the Inspector General’s report covered involved inappropriate contact between teachers and students through phone use and social media.
Social Media Victims Law Center, Watchdog Group notes Social media makes it easier for sexual predators and other criminals to target children and teens.
‘We Take Seriously Our Responsibility’
The OIG stated that incidents without sufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution can still lead to firing, removal of licenses, permanent employment consequences and reporting back to police.
“Chicago Public Schools greatly values our partnership with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and we support the work to investigate all issues of misconduct among our 40,000 team members,” said Mary Fergus, the CPS executive director of media relations, in a written statement to the media.
“As a district, we take seriously our responsibility to serve our families with integrity and to address individuals who breach CPS policies and the public’s trust and hold them accountable.
“CPS will continue to ensure our district policies and procedures support the highest ethical standards to ensure our valued team members act in the best interest of our students.”
David Smith, executive director at the Illinois Family Institute, says that the problem of sexual abuse in schools extends far beyond Chicago.
“We have a sexualized culture, a ‘pornified’ culture,” Smith said so to The Epoch Times. “It is seeping through every single crevice in our culture. And our children are at risk.”
Statistics show there’s about one case of sexual abuse every week in Chicago public schools, Smith said.
Teaching Sexting
Smith stated that the widespread allegations of sexual abuse make it more difficult for Illinois lawmakers to push non-abstinence programs on children.
He pointed out a 2018 Chicago Tribune article study Over a period of ten years, hundreds of cases were documented.
The study said CPS’s Law Department both investigated abuse allegations and drew on the investigative files to defend the alleged abuser from victim lawsuits.
He pointed out that Illinois lawmakers are keen to offer teachers more chances to have sex conversations with their students, despite the serious sexual abuse problems.
“When our lawmakers in [the capital] Springfield push so-called comprehensive sex education, starting at kindergarten and through 12th grade, one has to sit back in the light of this [Chicago Tribune abuse] study and say, ‘Are they grooming our children to be easier victims of sexual abuse? What is their goal?’” Smith.
Smith stated that he was outraged by Illinois’s actions mandated Special courses “sexting” Children from 6th through 12th grade.
Sexting refers to sending someone sexually explicit photos or descriptions via the phone.
“We don’t need to be in our classrooms teaching in 6th grade about sexting. If they’re naive and innocent, why don’t we safeguard their purity, for goodness’ sakes?” Smith.
According to Illinois law, the state’s sex education programs must align with the National Sex Education Standards. These standards are published annually by The Future of Sex Education, a Unesco organization.
The National Sex Education Standards ask Children as young as kindergarten age can participate in this program. “define consent” Recognize sexually abusive behavior.
Conforming to Standards
Children in grades 3rd through 5th should be able to explain. “romantic sexual feelings, masturbation, mood swings, [and] timing of pubertal onset,” The National Sex Education standards state.
These standards are required for Illinois’ sex education programs.
Children should also be taught the National Sex Education Standards. “the potential role of hormone blockers on young people who identify as transgender,” You should be aware of sexually transmitted diseases.
The following information should be familiar to 6th,7th, and 8th graders “vaginal, oral, and anal sex” They should also know the rules for contraception. They must also be aware “factors that are important in deciding whether and when to engage in sexual behaviors.”
The curriculum has been approved by LGBT groups like the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign and Gender Spectrum. Widener University Center for Human Sexuality Studies also endorses it. Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WoCSHN) also endorses the curriculum.
‘What is Their Goal?’
Smith’s advice for parents: Keep children out of public school and educate them in faith to protect them from the culture.
He said, “The goal of public schools seems like it is to be.” “to replace God” With government and to give government the responsibility of teaching children “what is right and good and what is harmful.”
But families and children will have to confront America’s culture of sexual dysfunction wherever they go, Smith added.
“If you think this problem is isolated just to Chicago, you’re naive,” He said.
“This is a systemic problem through all government schools. I would even say we know from the Catholic Church that this problem is infecting even communities of faith.”
Money Machine
CPS employees saw the pandemic as a source of profit.
According to the OIG report CPS schools and units spent $1.1 billion “extra pay” For work that is not part of the regular workday.
The OIG’s investigation discovered “a number of recurring problems and a lack of internal controls” How the school paid its employees.
CPS’s 2021 plan to spend $1.79 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds only provided “broad categories” Like “districtwide initiatives to address unfinished learning” “programmatic investments in schools,” The report has been updated.
It was noted that the CPS budget 2023 ESSER fund spending is more detailed.
The report stated that 55 percent of future ESSER funds exceeding $1 billion will be used to pay employee salaries and benefits for 11,312 employees.
The report found that “extra pay” For work outside of the regular workday, it rose by 74% in five years.
System to ensure extra pay is fair “does not exist,” The OIG stated.
CPS has a history involving cheating to get extra pay, according to the OIG. Many employees used this method. “buddy punching” One employee could clock in and out for another person under certain schemes.
According to the report, a school where there were no internal cameras allowed a clerk $100,000 more pay. She didn’t need confirmation that she had clock herself in or out.
Another report states that the clock-out device was placed just out of reach of a security cam.
These paper timesheets disappeared in schools where the OIG was investigating.
The OIG reported that it will continue to investigate the spending.
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