Another case of the ineffectiveness of government in doing the right thing the right way.
Nearly 130 Chicago Public Schools employees have been terminated, recommended for dismissal or simply resigned amid scrutiny following an enormous review of worker backgrounds prompted by a Tribune investigation this year.
That group of employees includes nine teachers, 35 people classified as classroom aides and an unspecified number of people the district lists as substitute or hourly workers, according to CPS. In addition, 124 employees are still barred from work because they have not submitted fresh fingerprints for an updated district background check.
More than 130 school volunteers also have been dismissed or resigned under review, as have 184 vendors employed by companies that do business with CPS. Roughly 150 of the vendors were custodial staff — and most were removed because they did not provide “sufficient information” after CPS asked about their background check results.
The Tribune’s investigation revealed in June that ineffective background checks sometimes exposed CPS students to educators with criminal convictions and arrests for sex crimes against children. In response, the district announced what it called an “unprecedented step to recheck all employees” prior to the start of this school year, as well as additional measures to protect children.
The district now says the vast majority of more than 68,000 school employees, vendors and volunteers have been cleared for duty. Yet the updated statistics recently released to the Tribune show that CPS has also moved to part ways with hundreds of workers, vendors and volunteers, even as officials continue to review newly obtained information on hundreds of other adults to determine whether they should be allowed into schools.
Twenty-seven coaches, plus a group of 350 vendors and volunteers, still cannot work in schools after their background checks uncovered information that prompted a closer district review of their personal history.
The district has declined to identify pulled workers and volunteers, the schools where they’re assigned and the nature of background check information that led to their removal or dismissal, citing state privacy laws.
“It’s hard, because yes there should be some more transparency. But I also get this is a personnel issue, and there’s certainly laws and privacy issues they have to follow,” said Jennie Biggs of the Raise Your Hand education advocacy group.
“But that’s a tough question. If I was a parent with an athlete, I’d want to know who the coaches were. As a parent, you’re entrusting your kid with adults, and yeah, you do want to know. But it’s a tough one because things could still be cleared up potentially — or they could not.”
Most employees must complete disciplinary proceedings before they can be dismissed. A Chicago Teachers Union spokeswoman said CPS has not provided the labor group with any information about background check results in recent months.
“Nothing is more important to our members than our students’ safety, and it’s been bitterly disappointing that CPS has essentially locked us out of the process to work collaboratively with CPS to make student safety paramount,” union President Jesse Sharkey said in a statement.
Nearly 130 Chicago Public Schools employees, including 9 teachers, ousted over background check issues
Nearly 130 Chicago Public Schools employees have been terminated, recommended for dismissal or simply resigned amid scrutiny following an enormous review of worker backgrounds prompted by a Tribune investigation this year.
That group of employees includes nine teachers, 35 people classified as classroom aides and an unspecified number of people the district lists as substitute or hourly workers, according to CPS. In addition, 124 employees are still barred from work because they have not submitted fresh fingerprints for an updated district background check.
More than 130 school volunteers also have been dismissed or resigned under review, as have 184 vendors employed by companies that do business with CPS. Roughly 150 of the vendors were custodial staff — and most were removed because they did not provide “sufficient information” after CPS asked about their background check results.
The Tribune’s investigation revealed in June that ineffective background checks sometimes exposed CPS students to educators with criminal convictions and arrests for sex crimes against children. In response, the district announced what it called an “unprecedented step to recheck all employees” prior to the start of this school year, as well as additional measures to protect children.
The district now says the vast majority of more than 68,000 school employees, vendors and volunteers have been cleared for duty. Yet the updated statistics recently released to the Tribune show that CPS has also moved to part ways with hundreds of workers, vendors and volunteers, even as officials continue to review newly obtained information on hundreds of other adults to determine whether they should be allowed into schools.
Twenty-seven coaches, plus a group of 350 vendors and volunteers, still cannot work in schools after their background checks uncovered information that prompted a closer district review of their personal history.
The district has declined to identify pulled workers and volunteers, the schools where they’re assigned and the nature of background check information that led to their removal or dismissal, citing state privacy laws.
“It’s hard, because yes there should be some more transparency. But I also get this is a personnel issue, and there’s certainly laws and privacy issues they have to follow,” said Jennie Biggs of the Raise Your Hand education advocacy group.
“But that’s a tough question. If I was a parent with an athlete, I’d want to know who the coaches were. As a parent, you’re entrusting your kid with adults, and yeah, you do want to know. But it’s a tough one because things could still be cleared up potentially — or they could not.”
Most employees must complete disciplinary proceedings before they can be dismissed. A Chicago Teachers Union spokeswoman said CPS has not provided the labor group with any information about background check results in recent months.
“Nothing is more important to our members than our students’ safety, and it’s been bitterly disappointing that CPS has essentially locked us out of the process to work collaboratively with CPS to make student safety paramount,” union President Jesse Sharkey said in a statement.
Nearly 130 Chicago Public Schools employees, including 9 teachers, ousted over background check issues
