Attorneys for a Chicago family announced a $2 million settlement against the city over allegations a former gym teacher groomed and sexually assaulted three children.
The lawsuit alleged that Chicago Public Schools failed to do enough to protect three young boys from now former gym teacher Andrew Castro at Federico Garcia Lorca School in the Avondale neighborhood.
"We hope this case sends a clear message to others who are suffering in silence. You are not alone; we are here to help," said attorney Patrycja Karlin of The Karlin Law Firm, LLC. "We hold no illusions that this case alone will bring about sweeping changes to the broken CPS system, a system so fundamentally broken that it demands complete overhaul."
Castro is accused of grooming the three boys for years, ultimately leading to acts of sexual abuse.
"He attended their sports games, he befriended their families, and he thoroughly earned their trust," Larry Disparti of Disparti Law Group said. "Castro started inviting the boys over to his home, playing games involving clothing removal, touched and fondled the boys, had the boys sleep over, performed sexual acts on these boys culminating in rape."
The complaint also said he gained trust with the boys' immigrant parents.
The attorneys said the settlement money will be the first step toward therapy and healing for the kids and their family, however it is not stopping them from continuing to investigate CPS sexual abuse claims across the district.
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Disparti Law Attorney Bob Fioretti, who is running for Cook County State's Attorney, said the Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General Sexual Allegations Unit has fielded 2,000 complaints since its inception, with more than 225 active sexual abuse allegation cases are currently pending.
"There's so many kids who are raising the alarm about sex abuse, and apparently as we've learned, our school system here in Chicago is not equipped with tools to handle it," said attorney Cass Casper. "There are not adequate reporting measures, there are not adequate protections for kids."
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One of the reporting measures they criticized comes down to naming staff suspended for possible abuse.
"If the school is just sending out 'oh we suspended somebody, but we're not going to tell you who,' how does that help parents keep their kids safe," Disparti Law's Amanda Martin questioned.
That was the case in the initial memo sent to parents regarding Castro's suspension.
A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson issued the following statement to NBC 5 News.
"The safety and well being of our staff and students is a top priority and a foundational condition for our school communities. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) proactively works to prevent sexual abuse and to address and investigate any reports of abuse. 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. District leaders and staff recognize the traumatic impact of sexual abuse; our system continually works to educate leaders, faculty and students about sexual abuse and how to report it."
Disparti Law Group launched a CPS sexual abuse reporting hotline last year, calling the issue ongoing and pervasive. The hotline to report abuse for the law firm to look into is 312-506-1235.
Castro's criminal case is still ongoing.
The family is supposed to obtain the settlement dollars in December.
