About the Office of Inspector General for the Chicago Board of Education
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Chicago Board of Education is the independent oversight body for Chicago’s approximately 635 public, contract and charter schools. The OIG is charged with investigating allegations of waste, fraud, financial mismanagement, employee misconduct, and contractor/vendor misconduct within the jurisdiction of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The OIG's Sexual Allegations Unit (SAU) investigates allegations of sexual misconduct by CPS-affiliated adults, including employees, contractors, vendors and charter school employees, where the victim is a CPS student and/or a minor. The SAU is the only independent investigative body in the nation with jurisdiction over a broad range of sexual misconduct complaints and related allegations involving K-12 school-based staff and students.
CPS OIG’s mission is to ensure integrity and public trust in CPS operations, and to promote the wellbeing and safety of CPS students, by conducting independent, accurate and impactful investigations. The OIG was created in 1996 by Illinois General Assembly statute 105 ILCS 5/34-13.1 (the Illinois School Code) and its authority is further established in Board Rule 3-8.
Reporting Obligations
All CPS employees, contractors and vendors have a responsibility to report suspected waste, fraud, financial mismanagement, employee misconduct and adult-on-student sexual abuse to the OIG or other appropriate authorities. Complaints may also be sent to our office by CPS students, parents/guardians, volunteers or other concerned parties. CPS staff, contractors and vendors may be subject to discipline if they provide false information or statements to the OIG.
Allegations of wrongdoing may be sent to the OIG through the online complaint forms here, or by phone, email or regular mail.
Please note: for CPS staff members and other mandated reporters, filing a complaint with the OIG, including anonymous complaints, does not satisfy any mandatory reporter obligations that may apply. See the CPS Mandated Reporting Policy (“A mandated reporter who has reasonable cause to believe that a child known to the reporter in the reporter’s official capacity may have been abused or neglected is required to immediately call the DCFS Hotline at 1-800-252-2873 (1-800-25-ABUSE).”), the Comprehensive Non-Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct and Retaliation Policy and the OSP Procedure Manual, and the CPS Reporting of Child Abuse, Neglect and Inappropriate Relations Between Adults and Students Policy (“An anonymous report [to DCFS and/or CPS] does not satisfy an employee’s obligations.”).
Independence and Investigation Standards
The work of CPS OIG is guided by established best practices within the inspector general profession, including principles and quality standards for conducting investigations maintained by the Association of Inspectors General. Operational independence is a key tenet of all offices of inspector general and allows for unbiased, fair and thorough investigations free from external interference. The Chicago Board of Education’s support of the OIG’s work illustrates to the public that the Board is a good steward of taxpayer funds, committed to identifying and ending instances of waste, fraud and misconduct within the District, as well as protecting the wellbeing and safety of CPS students.
In order to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of ongoing investigations, as well as protect the identity of whistleblowers and investigation subjects, the OIG issues comprehensive summary reports to the Board only upon the completion of its investigations. For investigations involving potential criminal misconduct, the OIG partners with law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels, and shares information and resources during the investigation process.
CPS OIG does not speak publicly about ongoing cases or the nature of specific allegations, so as not to compromise its investigations and to remain impartial until all relevant evidence in a case has been obtained and carefully considered.
The OIG notifies CPS when an SAU investigation raises concerns for student safety, so the District can decide whether a staff member should be removed from school pending further investigation and/or if the impacted school community should be informed that an investigation is ongoing. The OIG also notifies the Office of Student Protections and Title IX (OSP) of any students involved in SAU investigations, so OSP can coordinate appropriate supports and interventions. A detailed outline of the Sexual Allegations Unit intake and investigation process is available here.
Public Reporting
In compliance with the Illinois School Code, CPS OIG issues an annual report to the Illinois General Assembly summarizing its investigations that were completed during the preceding school year, to the Chicago Board of Education and public. These annual reports may be viewed in full on our reports page.
Transparency and public service are key tenets of our office. In an effort to provide CPS families, Chicagoans and concerned elected officials with timely updates on significant matters that the OIG has reported internally to the Chicago Board of Education, the OIG has initiated a practice of publicly issuing Significant Activity Reports throughout the year. These Significant Activity Reports are available on our reports page.
In addition, the SAU gives bi-annual public presentations to the Chicago Board of Education and periodically shares other data and information, all of which is available on the OIG website.
CPS OIG’s mission is to ensure integrity and public trust in CPS operations, and to promote the wellbeing and safety of CPS students, by conducting independent, accurate and impactful investigations. The OIG was created in 1996 by Illinois General Assembly statute 105 ILCS 5/34-13.1 (the Illinois School Code) and its authority is further established in Board Rule 3-8.
Reporting Obligations
All CPS employees, contractors and vendors have a responsibility to report suspected waste, fraud, financial mismanagement, employee misconduct and adult-on-student sexual abuse to the OIG or other appropriate authorities. Complaints may also be sent to our office by CPS students, parents/guardians, volunteers or other concerned parties. CPS staff, contractors and vendors may be subject to discipline if they provide false information or statements to the OIG.
Allegations of wrongdoing may be sent to the OIG through the online complaint forms here, or by phone, email or regular mail.
Please note: for CPS staff members and other mandated reporters, filing a complaint with the OIG, including anonymous complaints, does not satisfy any mandatory reporter obligations that may apply. See the CPS Mandated Reporting Policy (“A mandated reporter who has reasonable cause to believe that a child known to the reporter in the reporter’s official capacity may have been abused or neglected is required to immediately call the DCFS Hotline at 1-800-252-2873 (1-800-25-ABUSE).”), the Comprehensive Non-Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct and Retaliation Policy and the OSP Procedure Manual, and the CPS Reporting of Child Abuse, Neglect and Inappropriate Relations Between Adults and Students Policy (“An anonymous report [to DCFS and/or CPS] does not satisfy an employee’s obligations.”).
Independence and Investigation Standards
The work of CPS OIG is guided by established best practices within the inspector general profession, including principles and quality standards for conducting investigations maintained by the Association of Inspectors General. Operational independence is a key tenet of all offices of inspector general and allows for unbiased, fair and thorough investigations free from external interference. The Chicago Board of Education’s support of the OIG’s work illustrates to the public that the Board is a good steward of taxpayer funds, committed to identifying and ending instances of waste, fraud and misconduct within the District, as well as protecting the wellbeing and safety of CPS students.
In order to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of ongoing investigations, as well as protect the identity of whistleblowers and investigation subjects, the OIG issues comprehensive summary reports to the Board only upon the completion of its investigations. For investigations involving potential criminal misconduct, the OIG partners with law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels, and shares information and resources during the investigation process.
CPS OIG does not speak publicly about ongoing cases or the nature of specific allegations, so as not to compromise its investigations and to remain impartial until all relevant evidence in a case has been obtained and carefully considered.
The OIG notifies CPS when an SAU investigation raises concerns for student safety, so the District can decide whether a staff member should be removed from school pending further investigation and/or if the impacted school community should be informed that an investigation is ongoing. The OIG also notifies the Office of Student Protections and Title IX (OSP) of any students involved in SAU investigations, so OSP can coordinate appropriate supports and interventions. A detailed outline of the Sexual Allegations Unit intake and investigation process is available here.
Public Reporting
In compliance with the Illinois School Code, CPS OIG issues an annual report to the Illinois General Assembly summarizing its investigations that were completed during the preceding school year, to the Chicago Board of Education and public. These annual reports may be viewed in full on our reports page.
Transparency and public service are key tenets of our office. In an effort to provide CPS families, Chicagoans and concerned elected officials with timely updates on significant matters that the OIG has reported internally to the Chicago Board of Education, the OIG has initiated a practice of publicly issuing Significant Activity Reports throughout the year. These Significant Activity Reports are available on our reports page.
In addition, the SAU gives bi-annual public presentations to the Chicago Board of Education and periodically shares other data and information, all of which is available on the OIG website.