CHICAGO - A Chicago Public Schools office created this year to investigate cases of student-on-student sexual violence has fielded more than 600 allegations so far.
The school district created the Office of Student Protections and Title IX this summer following a Chicago Tribune investigation documenting broad lapses in the district's response to sexual abuse.
District deputy general counsel Douglas Henning on Wednesday told the City Council's education committee the large number of reports handled by the office reflects a "new realty."
Henning says it is now not OK to look the other way when it comes to sexual abuse.
Most of the 624 misconduct cases that came in between Sept. 4 and Monday involved student-on-student allegations. Henning says 133 cases related to allegations of misconduct by adults, with roughly half of those adult-related misconduct cases involving people who do not work for the school district.
