Chicago Public Schools (CPS) fired a security officer who investigators say filed a fraudulent workers’ compensation claim after falsely reporting a leg injury.
That’s according to the Fiscal Year 2025 annual report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The report, issued by Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht, summarizes cases drawn from more than 1,200 complaints filed between July 2024 and June 2025 in Chicago Public Schools.
The OIG does not name schools or district employees accused in the cases it describes.
Investigators found that the officer’s account of the incident was contradicted by security camera footage.
She had claimed to have injured her left leg after tripping over interoffice mail containers beneath a front security desk at a district administrative office. Video showed her briefly stumbling when her right leg brushed against a container but did not show a fall or apparent injury.
The footage also showed her moving the containers, walking outside without a limp, reentering the building, and later appearing to limp on her right side before displaying her left leg to coworkers.
During an OIG interview, the officer admitted to providing false information about nearly every aspect of the incident, including when it occurred, how many containers were involved, whether she fell, and what she did afterward.
Statements from her supervisor and a coworker, along with the video evidence, confirmed that her account was largely untrue.
The OIG concluded the officer knowingly filed a fraudulent claim in violation of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act and recommended disciplinary action up to termination.
CPS records show the officer was terminated, received a “Do Not Hire” designation, and had her workers’ compensation claim denied.
The OIG, led by Chicago Public Schools Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht, serves as an independent oversight body for approximately 635 Chicago Public Schools (CPS), including district-run, contract, and charter schools. Established in 1996 under the Illinois School Code, the OIG is tasked with investigating waste, fraud, financial mismanagement, employee misconduct, and contractor or vendor misconduct. It also oversees the Sexual Allegations Unit, which investigates sexual misconduct by CPS-affiliated adults involving CPS students or minors and issues reports under state law.
