The families of three boys allegedly sexually abused by a former Chicago Public Schools teacher have settled their lawsuit against the school board for $2 million, lawyers announced Thursday.
The families contended in federal court that CPS did not notify families sufficiently of sexual abuse allegations against Andrew Castro, a former gym teacher at Federico Garcia Lorca Elementary School on the Northwest Side, that led to his removal in 2021. While the notification said a teacher had been removed, it did not name Castro.
Castro allegedly abused the young boys from 2018 until 2022, after his removal.
“Let’s be clear, this settlement is not a victory to be celebrated,” said Patrycja Karlin, a lawyer for the families in the suit, at a news conference. “It is merely the beginning of a much larger fight for accountability.”
Castro allegedly befriended the boys with gifts, compliments and special treatment. His alleged abuse eventually manifested in molestation and rape, lawyers said. He is still facing criminal charges in Cook County circuit court.
“Nothing was done, until it was too late, and the rape and the molestations had already occurred,” said Larry Disparti, a lawyer for the families.
Since CPS changed its sexual abuse case management process in 2018, 2,000 cases have been filed with the CPS Office of the Inspector General Sexual Allegations Unit, lawyers said. In a report to the city’s Board of Education in February, the office said that complaints were up 12% from the same time in 2023.
Cass Casper, a lawyer representing the victims, said he had been surprised to learn how big of a problem sexual abuse in Chicago schools is.
“There’s so many kids who are raising alarms about sex abuse, and apparently, as we’ve learned, our school system here in Chicago is not equipped with the tools to handle it,” he said. “There are not adequate reporting measures, protections for kids both to preserve their anonymity and safeguard them from retaliation. … We need to do more to fix this problem.”
In a statement to the Sun-Times, CPS said safety is a top priority, and it works to educate students and staff about sexual abuse and how to report it.
“CPS proactively works to prevent sexual abuse and to address and investigate any reports of abuse,” a spokesperson said. “The district believes that any students who are harmed as a result of a legally recognized failure on the district’s part should be compensated in a reasonable manner that will help remedy injuries to the student.”
While the lawyers were critical of CPS, Amanda Martin, another lawyer representing the families, said they want to work together to solve this problem.
“We’re not here to attack the school,” she said, “we’re here to help.”