CPS’s firing of two administrators was ‘influenced’ by improper off-the-books investigation: report

The 2020 firing of Lincoln Park High School’s principal and assistant principal, which prompted protests from parents and students, was at least partially motivated by an improper off-the-books investigation, according to a report from the Office of Inspector General. for Chicago public schools.

CPS says the two administrators were fired due to what officials characterized as “substantiated findings” of misconduct and failure to follow protocol regarding the boys’ basketball team, which wreaked havoc at the North Side school. The boys’ basketball season was cut short, students staged walkouts, parents complained en masse, and lawsuits by administrators followed.

But according to the OIG report, the reasons initially cited for the dismissals were mostly unrelated to the boys’ team, but to a separate incident that should have been handled differently.

The officer who conducted that investigation, CPS Chief Title IX Officer Camie Pratt, resigned this summer with a “do not hire” designation in her name, according to CPS documents. The inspector general recommended that Pratt and her deputy be subject to “disciplinary action up to and including termination.”

The attorney representing Pratt said in a statement: “Ms. Pratt strongly disputes the allegations in the CPS OIG report and is confident that a review by an independent, third-party investigator would demonstrate that she acted in accordance with applicable standards and policies.

“Ms.

The circumstances surrounding Pratt’s departure were discovered by a former CPS substitute teacher who is now conducting his own investigation. After the former deputy published the information about X, WBEZ requested and received the OIG report, as well as other documents related to Pratt’s employment.

CPS officials declined to provide more information about Pratt’s departure, including why it took four years for the inspector general to issue a report or for Pratt to be held accountable.

Pratt arrived at CPS in 2019 to some fanfare in the wake of the Chicago Tribune Cheated serieswhich found systemic problems in the district’s handling of sexual assault and misconduct cases involving students. In hiring Pratt for the Office of Student Protections and Title IX, then-CEO Janice Jackson said it was part of her efforts to “leave no stone unturned” to ensure students were safe and in full compliance with Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs.

At the time of the February 2020 firings of Lincoln Park principal John Thuet and assistant principal Michelle Brumfield, the firings were publicly linked to their handling of an unauthorized overnight boys basketball trip in which two students were videotaped engaging in a sexual encounter that was shared without consent. permission.

But at the same time the investigation was getting underway, Pratt and her deputy were questioning school officials in an off-the-books investigation about how they had responded to an allegation about a text exchange between a student, who is a relative of Pratt’s, and the girls basketball coach , the OIG found.

Unsubstantiated findings regarding the text message were presented as substantiated at a local school board meeting — and this was one of the main reasons Thuet and Brumfield were fired, according to the OIG report. The investigation into the boys’ team had not yet been completed at the time of that conversation. School district officials said at the time that Thuet and Brumfield had been dismissed “due to multiple allegations of serious misconduct related to the athletics program.”

Although Pratt said she informed Jackson of the incident between her relative and the girl’s basketball coach, the inspector general’s report says she did not make public the investigation she and her deputy conducted. According to the OIG report, Pratt should never have pursued any investigation because it was a conflict of interest to investigate a situation involving a family member and because her office was charged with investigating student-on-student abuse and lacked jurisdiction had.

Based on that investigation, the girls basketball coach was suspended. Later, the OIG Sexual Allegations Unit found that the girls’ basketball coach “directly texted and transported (the family member) in his personal vehicle in violation of CPS policy, but these actions were not sexually motivated.” It recommended disciplinary action, but not dismissal.

The inspector general became involved in the case after Pratt complained of retaliation against her family member by a coach who took over for the suspended coach. Pratt said her family member faced reduced playing time under the new coach.

According to the inspector general’s report, Pratt said she was unaware her findings were being used to justify firing Thuet and Brumfield. She also said she was unaware her office had no jurisdiction over the case. The OIG refutes these statements in the report.

Thuet and Brunfield’s attorney said the two have no comment at this time.

Sarah Karp provides education for WBEZ. Follow her on X @WBEZeducation And @sskedreporter.