According to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Sexual Allegations Unit, there were at least 308 new cases of sexual assault or assault opened this year against CPS employees, which represents a 12% increase from last year.
The Sexual Allegations Unit said 308 new cases had been opened.
ABC 7 Chicago reports:
“Along with the volume of complaints, we have also seen more serious allegations,” said Amber Nesbitt, Deputy Inspector General for District Attorneys. “So, in 2024 alone, as of this morning, 21 employees have been withdrawn or suspended compared to nine last year.”
“That tells me we're going in the right direction, that people are less afraid to come forward or that people know how to come forward,” said Cas Casper, a CPS student advocate.
Casper represents three students who claim a teacher groomed and assaulted them over several years. Andrew Castro, a former CPS employee, was charged with criminal sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a child.
After filing a civil suit against Castro and the Board of Education, the Casper law firm established a hotline for sexual assault complaints in schools. So far, they have reported dozens of calls and emails that they are investigating.
In the 2022 annual report, Chicago Board of Education Inspector General Will Fletcher reported 470 sex complaints against student CPS employees.
The report details students being abused, groped, harassed, assaulted and even threatened by school staff and officials. More than 25% of complaints relate to allegations of sexual violence.
The sharp rise in the number of complaints for the 2023-24 school year, with three months to go, suggests that the next annual report will be bleak.
This comes as the Chicago Board of Education is eliminating protections for the city's schools.
On Thursday, the Chicago Board of Education voted unanimously to remove school resource officers from Chicago Public Schools, The Gateway Pundit reported.
Schools will be required to remove uniformed police officers before the start of the next school year.
