Chicago Public Schools agrees to federal oversight of sexual violence protections for students as Education Sec. Betsy DeVos calls CPS failures 'glaring and heartbreaking'
CHICAGO - In what federal officials called a historic enforcement action to protect students from sexual violence, Chicago Public Schools has entered into a legally binding agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and pledged extensive reforms in its handling of abuse and assault cases.
"This is one of the deepest dives that we have done" of a major urban public school district, Assistant Sec. for Civil Rights Kenneth Marcus said of his office's yearslong investigation.
"This is an extraordinary and appalling case," Marcus added. "It is one of the worst that we have seen in the elementary, secondary school context."
He said the civil rights office is now holding the district accountable.
The agreement includes "strong provisions" that require CPS to make what Marcus called significant changes in order to protect students from sexual assault and abuse. He said his office will
