More Than 600 CPS Sex Abuse Complaints Reported This Semester

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools officials have received 624 complaints of sexual assault since early September. The district's new Office of Student Protections and Title IX — which was formed in September to protect students from abuse — has fielded 491 allegations of student-on-student assaults, and 133 allegations of misconduct by adults.

District deputy general counsel Douglas Henning testified Wednesday to the City Council's education committee during a hearing on widespread sexual abuse problems in the district. He said the abuse complaints reflect a "new reality" that can't be ignored.

The $3 million Office of Student Protections and Title IX, which employs 16 people, was set up to protect students from sexual harassment, assault and abuse. The office includes a hotline for complaints.

The creation of the office followed an investigation by the Chicago Tribune into the district's response to sexual abuse. The investigation found countless "obvious child-protection mistakes."

Roughly half the 133 allegations of misconduct by adults involve people who don't work for the school district, Henning said.

Image via Chicago Public Schools