Lawsuit claims Chicago Public Schools failed to tell police, DCFS about sex abuse of girl by security guard
A former Chicago Public Schools student claims she was groomed, kissed, and repeatedly sexually abused by a female security guard, and CPS is accused of failing to report the abuse allegations to police or the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
The alleged victim's attorneys filed the lawsuit Tuesday morning, and held a news conference to discuss it.
"The Chicago Public Schools knowingly kept a predator on its payroll," said attorney Bryce Hensley, a partner in the firm Gould Grieco & Hensley, representing the alleged victim. "They allowed this person to continue working with children at Farragut, despite having direct knowledge of the allegations and the evidence—and they never reported it."
The former student's attorneys said CPS administrators were required by law to report the accusations.
Attorneys said the now-former student and security guard met in 2012 at Farragut Career Academy IB World School, at 2345 S. Christiana Ave. in the Little Village neighborhood.
The girl was interested in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program offered at the school, and sought the advice of the security guard, who had military experience.
That conversation is said to have opened the door to years of sexual abuse.
Attorneys provided a timeline of what allegedly happened next — they said the adult bought the minor a phone to message with her privately on Instagram, groomed the girl with compliments, and sent her sexually explicit messages. Eventually, attorneys said, this led to kissing and sexual encounters in the security guard's vehicle and apartment.
The lawsuit alleges the abuse was "overt," and that it caused "widespread attention and rumors" and was "openly discussed" among students and teachers.
At one point, the accused abuser's ex-wife reported the inappropriate relationship to school higher-ups, attorneys said.
The victim's lawyers say CPS failed to investigate the security guard thoroughly and never reported the allegations to police.
The situation gets even more twisted, according to a complaint. It says one of the administrators at Farragut was the security guard's mother. Attorneys believe the guard's mother was secretary or treasurer at Farragut at the time.
The guard is further accused of using her mother's position of power and ability to access the high schooler's address and threaten the student.
Attorney Jennifer M. Cascio, representing the alleged victim, said the guard told her, "We can find you, we know where your family lives, and if this information ever gets out, we will report your family to ICE."
The administrator who was the security guard's mother apparently convinced the student's family to transfer the student to another school. But lawyers said the alleged sexually abusive relationship with the guard even after the transfer.
The lawsuit names the CPS Board of Education as the defendant.
Chicago Public Schools said it cannot comment on the specifics of the pending litigation, but more generally, the district has made changes to its sexual misconduct protocols in more recent years since the alleged abuse occurred.
