A child advocate and a former CPS student urged the Chicago Board of Education this week to “do better” when it comes to costly settlements involving teacher sexual misconduct.
Tania Haigh, the president of the child advocacy organization KIDS TOO, told board members during Thursday’s meeting that “the status quo is not working; protecting predators does not make financial sense.”
Her comments to the Chicago Board of Education prompted one board member to ask for a copy of her speech. Haigh’s remarks came two weeks after the board approved a $17.5 million settlement for a former Little Village Lawndale High School student who was sexually abused by her now-former dean, Brian Crowder.
Crowder was convicted of four charges, including aggravated sexual abuse, this past summer and sentenced to 22 years in prison. During his July trial, prosecutors said he posed as the student’s stepfather so that she could get two abortions while still in high school. A third, she said, happened after she left the school.
The former student’s attorneys called her case “egregious.” During a recent exclusive interview with NBC 5 Investigates, the woman, now 27 years old, said, “I can move on and heal in peace.”
Crowder was one of several former educators from Little Village Lawndale High School profiled earlier this year in the NBC 5 investigation “Lessons in Betrayal.”
Our reporting uncovered a culture of misconduct at that high school.
Since 2017, at least seven educators – including Crowder – had been fired or resigned from Little Lawndale High School while under investigation for misconduct.
At Thursday’s school board meeting, Haigh encouraged school board members – already facing a budget deficit this year – that monies would be better spent fully staffing the district’s Office of Inspector General; that it should amend the collective bargaining agreement with the teacher’s union to stop paying educators who are placed on leave while accused of misconduct and that CPS should incentivize staff to report allegations of misconduct and suspected abuse to avoid costly lawsuits.
Haigh was flanked by Ana Salano, one of the 12 former students who came forward to NBC 5 Investigates with allegations that they had either witnessed, were approached or felt they were groomed into sexual relationships with their former teachers at Little Village Lawndale High School.
“What I went through, what my classmates went through, I don’t want anybody else to go through that,” Solano said.
All of the former students interviewed by NBC 5 Investigates graduated from LVLHS between 2009 and 2019.
This summer, after a three-year investigation – which the former students complained took too long, Chicago Public Schools’ Inspector General’s report substantiated many of the sexual misconduct allegations against the educators we reported on – calling it a “systemic problem.”
In most cases, the women said the sex happened after they turned 18 or in the days, weeks or months after they graduated.
NBC 5 Investigates’ reporting prompted change
And in the wake of our reporting — the board began to make policy changes this fall — expanding how misconduct or abuse allegations can be reported and extending those protections to recent graduates.
“I am grateful that people are listening and there are these new policy changes in response to us sharing our story,” Solano said. “I want to say that it doesn’t feel like it’s enough.”
During an Aug. 13 meeting, Bonnie Washick, a CPS policy advisor, told the board:
“We revised the standards for professional boundaries, so they apply to recent graduates within one year of graduation. This supports our effort to prevent inappropriate or harmful conduct following graduation that potentially indicates grooming had occurred prior to graduation.”
In October, the board adopted another policy change that banned all CPS employees – including teachers – from using personal emails or social media accounts to communicate with current students or recent graduates.
Ana said she had a years-long sexual relationship with her former teacher, Dennis Kass. She and other former students shared social media messages he sent them.
And while the inspector general found insufficient evidence that Dennis Kass groomed students, the report shows his conduct was unbecoming of an employee and that he told the OIG “he had received no training from CPS that would have suggested it was inappropriate to have sexual contact with a former student.”
Kass and the other educators who were accused have since been banned from being rehired at CPS.
NBC 5 Investigates reached out to Kass, his attorney and a hired public relations firm, which had communicated with us before. We hadn’t received responses as of late Friday.
A CPS spokesperson provided the following statement:
“Chicago Public Schools (CPS) takes all allegations of abuse and misconduct with the utmost seriousness and appreciates community members and advocates who raise concerns focused on student safety and accountability.
CPS values the work of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and takes all findings and recommendations seriously. CPS is committed to ensuring that the OIG has the resources necessary to conduct comprehensive, timely and independent investigations. CPS continually evaluates staffing and operational needs across the District, including the OIG.
CPS operates within applicable laws, district policies and guidelines, as well as the various negotiated collective bargaining agreements with labor partners. Any changes to compensation, due process or investigative procedures require careful legal review and agreement from our labor partners.
CPS requires employees to comply with Illinois mandated reporter laws, as well as CPS reporting policies, and failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. CPS will continue to provide training and guidance to staff on recognizing and reporting suspected abuse or boundary violations.
CPS is dedicated to continually improving established policies and procedures and will implement necessary changes to enhance protections.”
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