Chicago City Wire

Former state representative Jeanne Ives is taking Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to task regarding her comments that the pandemic disrupted an investigation involving sexual misconduct at Marine Leadership Academy in Logan Square.

The allegation of sexual harassment dates back to 2016, and Ives said that blaming the pandemic for delaying the investigation amounted to making excuses.

“Pandemic didn’t hold up Rittenhouse investigation Lightfoot. No excuses. She is as bad as mayor as Rahm was,” she wrote on a Facebook post.  

Lightfoot said that pandemic delays in the court system led her to only being aware of an investigation at the school recently; however, the inspector general reported at least 22 complaints to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services about the city’s Marine Leadership Academy since 2019, according to the Block Club Chicago.

An anonymous phone call accusing school officials at the Marine Leadership Academy of sexual grooming and harassment of students sparked an investigation that has exiled 12 employees, including teachers, who are being accused in entering in unsuitable relationships with students or covering up those relations for over five years, according to ABC 7.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez recently revealed that the investigation found the anonymous phone call to be true.

"Unfortunately, some of these relationships appear to have been tolerated or even covered up by other adults who had vowed to protect our children," Martinez said. "One had a sexual relationship with a student," Martinez said. "One groomed a student and began a sexual relationship with the student immediately after the student graduated. One sexually harassed and retaliated against a student. One groomed a student and crossed the boundaries with others. Six failed to report and actively hid suspected violations."

Intercept reported that while in office, former mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served two terms, was responsible for shutting down half of the city’s public mental health clinics, eliminating the Department of Environment and causing the first teachers’ strike in 25 years.