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Victims testify to Illinois lawmakers on CPS sex abuse scandal: 'I will never be the same again'

Chicago Tribune - 6/20/2018

June 20--Two young women gave powerful testimony to state lawmakers Wednesday that they had been abused by Chicago teachers they trusted, then victimized by the way school officials treated them after they came forward.

Former Walter Payton College Prep student Morgan Aranda, speaking in front of an audience of at least 20 legislators and dozens of observers, said she lost her "sense of wonder and excitement" about school after she reported being groped and kissed at age 14 by one of her teachers. School and district officials repeatedly questioned her about the alleged abuse.

"I'm here to shed light on the re-traumatizing, intimidating interrogations, the questions of my dignity, of my intent, of my character" after reporting abuse, Aranda said, pausing at times to wipe tears away. Payton administrators and Chicago Public Schools investigators, she said, subjected her to a humiliating investigation that undermined her story.

MORE COVERAGE: Chicago Public Schools fails to protect students from rape and sexual abuse

"I was pulled from class to sit alone in a room with an old man who asked not how I felt or what they could do to make me feel safe in my school again -- but what I was wearing when I had been assaulted," said Aranda, now 22. "Do you know what it's like to be made to feel like a criminal, when you are in fact the victim?"

Tamara Reed, who was an eighth-grader at Black Magnet Elementary when a substitute teacher sent her sexually explicit texts and solicited sex from her, spoke about the way school administrators suggested she was at fault for the abuse and the lasting pain the experience has caused. She is now in high school.

"I will never be the same again because of what has been done to me. I struggle to connect with people and to trust them. I constantly wonder if the people around me mean well or mean me harm," said Reed, also faltering at times as she became emotional.

As the young women told their stories, some state lawmakers shook their heads in disbelief, dabbed their own tears and expressed exasperation at the way the students were treated.

The state Senate Education and House Elementary and Secondary Education Joint Committee sought the testimony of victims, school officials and experts after a Chicago Tribune series, "Betrayed," exposed failures to protect CPS students from predatory school employees. The investigative series highlighted ineffective background checks, found that school employees sometimes failed to report possible abuse to child-welfare authorities as required by state law, and subjected students who reported abuse to repeated rounds of questioning.

The hearing was informational only. Bills meant to address many of the failures highlighted in the Tribune's series already have been filed in the House and Senate. The house bill has 54 sponsors, showing the measure has broad support from a body with 118 members.

Legislators told the Tribune it's likely they will hold several hearings before this fall, when a vote on a student-protection bill is expected.

State Sen. Jacqueline Collins, D-Chicago, reserved chairs for district CEO Janice Jackson and Chicago Board of Education President Frank Clark, but neither was there to testify. Instead, Jackson sent her top safety administrator, a personnel official and the district's deputy general counsel.

Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Streamwood, who is chairman of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, said he is disappointed they did not appear.

"It does matter. We invited her," Crespo told the Tribune. "I am disappointed that (Jackson) is not here. We also invited the mayor and the Chicago police. It starts and ends with (Mayor Rahm Emanuel)."

After hearing the abuse victims' testimony, Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, delivered a fiery condemnation of school administrators and Emanuel.

"Every one of those adults that worked for CPS, every last one of them, failed you. The mayor of the city of Chicago failed you. The CEO of CPS failed you. The board that works for CPS failed you," Flowers said.

"As far as I'm concerned, this system is broken and everyone (involved) should be fired."

Flowers ridiculed schools CEO Jackson for calling herself a "mother bear" who wants to protect her cubs, and asked if Jackson reached out to Reed or Aranda since their stories were in the paper. They said no.

Crespo, in closing out the testimony, praised Aranda and Reed for coming forward.

"I know I am looking at two great leaders today. ... On behalf of the entire state of Illinois we are sorry that this happened. You should walk out of here with your heads held high. You're helping a lot of people."

After the victims' testimony ended, Reed said: "I really enjoyed being able to get in front of people who have the power to make change, and to be accepted that it's not my fault. For a very long time I felt silenced."

She said she felt heard by the lawmakers and believed they were sincere in their pledges to strengthen child protection laws. "I have a lot of confidence. I have faith in that," she said.

Aranda said she doesn't have faith in the district to overhaul itself but is optimistic that sweeping, state-level changes could force districts to use standard protocols in interviewing abuse victims and provide them counseling.

"I think it's ultimately going to help," Aranda said of the hour-long testimony. But, she added: "I get frustrated when people in power ask victims to change the system that wronged them."

This story will be updated after testimony from CPS officials and state education and child-welfare authorities is complete.

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