Controversial Firings of Lincoln Park Administrators Tied to Unofficial Investigation Report Reveals

CPS Inspector General finds conflict of interest in off-the-books inquiry sparking questions of integrity, honesty

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CHICAGO - The 2020 firings of the principal and assistant principal at Lincoln Park High School, which led to mass protests and walkouts by students and parents, were partly driven by an unofficial investigation that violated Chicago Public Schools (CPS) protocols, according to a newly released report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

CPS originally dismissed interim principal John Thuet and assistant principal Michelle Brumfield citing "substantiated findings" of misconduct related to their handling of the boys’ basketball team. The fallout at the North Side school included the cancellation of the boys’ basketball season and widespread outrage from students, parents, and faculty. Lawsuits from the fired administrators soon followed.

However, the OIG report suggests that the reasons behind the firings went beyond the basketball team incident. An additional investigation, led by CPS Chief Title IX Officer Camie Pratt, targeted a separate matter involving a student and the girls’ basketball coach—an investigation that the report states should never have occurred.

Pratt, who resigned in the summer of 2024 with a “do not hire” designation on her record, conducted the off-the-books investigation involving her relative, a student at Lincoln Park, and the girls’ basketball coach. The OIG report called the investigation a conflict of interest and outside Pratt’s jurisdiction as CPS Title IX Officer, as her office is tasked with handling cases of student-on-student abuse, not situations involving CPS employees.

Pratt and her deputy questioned school officials about a text exchange between Pratt’s relative and the girls’ basketball coach, according to the OIG. These findings, which were not substantiated at the time, were presented at a local school council meeting and used as justification for the firings of Thuet and Brumfield.

The boys’ basketball investigation was not yet complete at the time of the firings, but CPS officials maintained that the administrators were dismissed due to “multiple allegations of serious misconduct involving the athletic program.”

Pratt, in her defense, claims that she had informed CPS CEO Janice Jackson about the incident involving her relative but did not disclose the investigation she and her deputy were conducting. The OIG report criticizes Pratt for initiating the investigation despite the clear conflict of interest, stating that her actions were inappropriate and outside her purview.

Following the off-the-books investigation, the girls’ basketball coach was suspended. However, the OIG's Sexual Allegations Unit later concluded that while the coach did text and transport the student in violation of CPS policies, these actions were "not sexually motivated." The OIG recommended disciplinary measures but not termination for the coach.

The report also highlights that Pratt never should have undertaken any investigation in this case, given her familial ties to the student and her office’s lack of authority in such matters. Pratt's findings were later used as part of the rationale for dismissing Thuet and Brumfield, though Pratt claims she was unaware of this at the time.

"Ms. Pratt adamantly disputes the allegations made in the CPS OIG report and is confident that a review by an independent, third-party investigator would demonstrate that she acted according to applicable standards and policies," said Pratt’s attorney in a public statement. The attorney added that Pratt intends to file a “substantive rebuttal” to the OIG’s report.

Pratt’s departure from CPS earlier this year was surrounded by questions. A former CPS substitute teacher, now conducting independent investigations, initially brought the public’s attention to the circumstances of Pratt’s resignation by posting public records on the website MuckRock. WBEZ later obtained the OIG report, further bringing the situation to light.

Pratt was hired in 2019 amid a wave of reforms aimed at improving the district’s handling of sexual abuse and misconduct cases, following a damning Chicago Tribune investigation that uncovered widespread mishandling of such cases in CPS. Then-CEO Janice Jackson said at the time that Pratt’s hiring was a key part of CPS’s efforts to ensure student safety and compliance with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools.

The firings of Thuet and Brumfield in February 2020 were publicly linked to their handling of an unauthorized boys’ basketball trip, during which two students were filmed in a sexual encounter that was later shared without consent. While this incident initially appeared to be the primary reason for their dismissal, the OIG report now indicates that the off-the-books investigation into a separate incident involving Pratt’s relative also played a significant role.

CPS has declined to comment on Pratt’s departure or the reasons behind the delay in releasing the OIG report, which took four years to complete.

The report concludes by recommending disciplinary action, up to and including termination, for Pratt and her deputy. Pratt’s attorney, however, continues to challenge the findings and has indicated that further legal steps may be taken.