Some of the removed individuals allegedly engaged in those relationships, according to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Others have been accused of contributing in efforts of an alleged cover-up, he said.
Martinez announced the findings of an investigation conducted by the CPS Office of Inspector General during a Friday news conference. As of Friday morning, Martinez said 10 employees had either already been terminated or were in the process of being dismissed. The three other individuals were still under investigation, he added.
One of the investigated individuals allegedly had a sexual relationship with a student, Martinez said. Another was accused of sexually harassing and retaliating against a student, while another allegation involved an employee grooming a student, he said. In addition to those allegations, six of the individuals under investigation allegedly failed to report suspected violations, Martinez said.
Three of the individuals were still under investigation as of Friday for alleged “inappropriate personal relationships with students,” Martinez said.
“I want to make it clear: Failure to report misconduct is egregious and is a violation of district policy,” he said.
CPS reiterated in a thread on Twitter that the district has “zero tolerance for this sort of behavior” and that all staff members connected to the investigation had been removed from their positions at the school.
“Staff are mandated to come forward with knowledge of inappropriate relationships between students and staff,” CPS tweeted. “Individuals who are found to be responsible for inappropriate behavior and those who fail to report it will be disciplined to the greatest extent possible.”
The district encouraged students to speak up and take steps to report suspected inappropriate conduct by contacting its Office of Student Protections.
Martinez said the district plans to share the findings of the investigation with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). He added that the district will request that the state board pull the employees’ licenses.
The state board said in a statement shared with Newsweek it intends on ensuring schools are “safe spaces,” when reached Friday evening for comment.
“The adults who work in Illinois schools are responsible for making our schools safe spaces where students and their parents can have the utmost confidence in the professionalism and integrity of educators and staff. Any individual who violates that trust does not deserve to hold an Illinois educator license,” the state board said.
