The newly released annual report from the Office of Inspector General for the Chicago Board of Education revealed more than two dozen sexual misconduct allegations in the Chicago Public Schools system, as well as falsified grant applications.

Read the full report

The report specifically found many instances of sexual misconduct happening on one CPS campus, which was not identified by name. The OIG found during Fiscal Year 2025, seven staff members across two high schools on the same campus committed sexual misconduct toward then-current or former students — mostly in the 2010s. An eighth staff member had been found previously to have committed sexual misconduct toward a student in the same timeframe.

The students who attend high school on the shared campus play on athletic teams together and share some facilities, the OIG said.

In one instance at the campus, a dean sexually abused a student and was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the report said. Other employees on the same campus also engaged in sexual misconduct, but those employees have either already resigned or left before the OIG could start investigating, the report said.

The report detailed the alleged conduct of several specific employees, including one identified only as "Employee 3" who worked at three CPS high schools, including one of the schools on the shared campus. Employee 3 was a popular teacher who was known for his strong influence over his female students, and also an attorney who founded a legal clinic that started at the shared campus school and later expanded, the OIG said.

"Employee 3's curricula were largely focused on sex-related topics and social issues that affect girls and women (even, in at least one case, when he was supposed to be teaching a different curriculum)," the report said. "While these are legitimate academic topics, Employee 3 talked about sex with students in a manner that exceeded his teaching responsibilities, such as by repeatedly endorsing open relationships."

The report said Employee 3 was accused of targeting more than a dozen female students for sexual communications or actual sex after they graduated, and "engaged in flirtatious interactions" with at least one then-current student.

The report said the sexual misconduct on the shared campus happened years earlier, before CPS implemented major reforms to its policies. 

The OIG said out of 26 people investigated CPS systemwide for sexual misconduct by the OIG Sexual Allegations Unit — including CPS employees, vendors, and volunteers — six have been charged criminally, and four have been convicted.

The report also went into graphic detail about numerous alleged incidents at other schools — including a vendor employee accused of sexually abusing two high school and whose contract was terminated as a result, a security guard accused of giving a 15-year-old student alcohol and sexually assaulting her in two of his vehicles, and a vendor aide who sexually abused a fourth-grade student on a school bus, among others.

CBS News Chicago was pushing for answers Wednesday as to which schools were involved in the investigations.

Other allegations in the report included a federal indictment against a former network chief and vendor who investigators said worked together on a multi-year phony billing scheme.

They defrauded CPS out of at least $88,500, the report said.

The payments to the vendor purported to be for professional development, grant writing training, and student financial aid and counseling services — but no such services were provided, the report said. Instead, the vendor split payments with the network chief, the report said.

The vendor and network chief were both indicted in federal court and ended up entering into plea agreements, the report said.

In addition, the report said a program manager repeatedly falsified federal grant applications, leading to CPS receiving about $1.2 million in federal funding. The OIG said it had warned about this issue in an earlier investigation, but it continued to happen.

The report said CPS now has to pay the funds back by October.

CBS News Chicago has reached out to CPS and the Board of Education to see if they have a response to the report. CPS issued the following statement:

"Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of its students, families, and staff. The District recognizes its responsibility to serve the CPS community with integrity. It is committed to preventing, identifying, and responding to any form of abuse, misconduct, or exploitation within the community. 

"CPS takes the findings and recommendations of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) seriously and is committed to continuous improvement and transparency. The District strictly enforces all applicable policies, rules, and laws, including those related to preventing abuse, harassment, and misconduct. When violations occur and are reported, CPS takes prompt and appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination and referral to law enforcement, as required by law, while upholding the highest ethical standards.

"With a workforce of more than 40,000 employees serving over 315,000 students, CPS is committed to providing comprehensive, ongoing training for employees and vendors to recognize, prevent, and report abuse, and to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures. CPS will also continue to strengthen its policies, reporting mechanisms, and oversight practices to foster a culture of accountability, ethical conduct, and support ensuring that all staff act in the best interests of students, the District, and the City of Chicago."