An $1.5 million settlement is proposed for sex assault lawsuits

An $1.5 million settlement is proposed for sex assault lawsuits brought by two special education students at Bogan High School in Chicago

A special education student allegedly assaulted two classmates on separate dates in a bathroom at a southwest side high school, according to two lawsuits filed against the Chicago Board of Education.

Bogan Computer Technical High School’s special education student reported in June 2016 that another special education student attacked him twice in a bathroom. The special education plans for both boys required supervision in the restroom. In court, a CPS attorney argued that while the boys were supervised on trips to the restroom, their plans allowed for independence within bathrooms.

According to court paperwork, the two sides agreed to a $725,000 settlement at the end of February as the case headed to trial. On Wednesday, the board of education will vote on the payment.

The Chicago Board of Education is preparing to spend $1.5 million to settle two lawsuits alleging a special education student sexually assaulted two classmates in a bathroom of Bogan Computer Technical High School. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

In February 2017, the alleged attacker assaulted another special education student in a bathroom at Bogan, according to the alleged victim’s attorney, Carolyn Daley. Daley filed a separate lawsuit regarding those allegations. Wednesday, the board plans to vote on a settlement for $850,000 in that case as well.

Last month, Daley called on the board of education and its employees to “change their policies and procedures to ensure that all students, not just students within the special education program, are safe and protected from sexual assault within the schools.”

Both Bogan cases were featured in the Chicago Tribune’s “Betrayed” series, which revealed widespread mishandling of allegations of student sexual abuse.

A million-dollar settlement was approved last month in a separate, but similar lawsuit alleging bathroom sexual assault by a special education student at Jordan Community Elementary School in Rogers Park.

“Chicago Public Schools firmly believes that students who are impacted as a result of a legally-recognized failure on the district’s part should be compensated in a reasonable manner that will remedy injuries to the student,” the district said in a statement last month.