Chicago Schools Facing Heat Over Teacher Misconduct

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is under fire for its handling of teacher misconduct cases. A child advocate and a former student recently spoke out, urging the school board to take stronger action. Tania Haigh, president of KIDS TOO, a child advocacy group, told board members that the current approach isn't working. She argued that protecting predators is both morally wrong and financially irresponsible. Haigh's comments came after the board approved a $17. 5 million settlement for a former student who was sexually abused by her dean, Brian Crowder. Crowder was convicted and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Prosecutors revealed that he posed as the student's stepfather to help her get abortions while she was still in high school. The former student, now 27, said she can finally move on and heal.This case is part of a larger issue at Little Village Lawndale High School. Since 2017, at least seven educators have been fired or resigned while under investigation for misconduct. Haigh suggested that the school district should fully staff its Office of Inspector General and amend the collective bargaining agreement to stop paying educators on leave while accused of misconduct. She also recommended incentivizing staff to report misconduct to avoid costly lawsuits. Ana Salano, a former student, shared her story of being groomed into a sexual relationship with her teacher, Dennis Kass. She and other former students provided social media messages as evidence. Although the inspector general found insufficient evidence that Kass groomed students, his conduct was deemed unbecoming of an employee. Kass and other accused educators have been banned from being rehired at CPS. In response to the investigation, the board made policy changes. They expanded how misconduct or abuse allegations can be reported and extended those protections to recent graduates. They also banned all CPS employees from using personal emails or social media accounts to communicate with current students or recent graduates. However, Ana said the changes don't feel like enough.