CPS to move sex abuse investigations from law department to inspector general

June 12--Investigations into allegations that Chicago school employees sexually abused students should be conducted by the district's independent watchdog, the school board president said Tuesday as officials try to manage the fallout from an ongoing abuse scandal.

Chicago Board of Education President Frank Clark said he will propose that district Inspector General Nicholas Schuler's office take over responsibility for sexual abuse investigations. The change would require a board vote that is scheduled to occur later this month.

Such investigations currently are managed within the district's Law Department, which also defends the district if abused students file lawsuits. Child welfare experts say it is a conflict of interest for the department both to question students and to later represent the district's interests in court.

"I, like most of you, have been disappointed and outraged," Clark said of his reaction to the Tribune's "Betrayed" investigation, which found widespread shortfalls in the district's response to sexual abuse allegations. "Schools must be a sanctuary for students. But as we know now, this was not the case for some," he said.

"Nothing is more important than creating a safer school district for our students, and we will not rest until that work is complete," Clark said.

Board Vice President Jaime Guzman and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson stood by Clark as he made the announcement Tuesday at CPS headquarters.

In a letter to Schuler, Clark also wrote that Schuler's office has been directed to review older sexual abuse investigations conducted by the Law Department dating "back to at least 2000, and further as warranted by your office, to determine if additional actions are required and appropriate corrective action was taken."

Schuler did not appear at Tuesday's news conference. But he wrote to school officials last week that his office should be responsible for sexual abuse investigations.

"The CPS law department simply cannot get to the bottom of all sexual misconduct allegations against CPS employees while simultaneously having the job of defending CPS against lawsuits by victims of those very same crimes," Schuler wrote.

In New York City schools, wrongdoing by school employees is investigated by a city inspector general squad that operates independently of the school district.

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