Chicago Public Schools Ordered to Reopen Investigation into Alleged Sex Misconduct at Former Charter School Founder's School
A Cook County Circuit judge has ordered Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to conduct a new investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Tim King, the founder and former CEO of Urban Prep Charter Schools. The allegations date back to when a 16-year-old student was allegedly groomed by King before years of "inappropriate" activity.
In a surprising turn of events, the alleged victim has recanted their accusations, stating that they never experienced any form of grooming or sexual contact with King when he was a student at Urban Prep. The former student claims to have worked for the charter school after graduation and never encountered any wrongdoing by King during his employment.
Judge Eve Reilly's decision, released last week, cited concerns over King receiving proper due process in the initial investigation. Although she did not rule on the merits of recantation, Reilly wrote that it was "just" for CPS to consider this new evidence.
King was once hailed as a hero by People magazine in 2010 for his charter schools, which boasted an impressive track record of college admissions among its predominantly black male student body. However, after the inspector general found evidence of sexual misconduct in 2022, King's reputation took a hit. He was barred from working at Urban Prep's academies and had a do-not-hire flag placed on his personnel file.
King filed a lawsuit to review the administrative findings, claiming that the investigation was flawed. His attorneys have maintained that the initial investigation was a "kangaroo" inquiry with numerous holes. In this latest development, King and his attorney have declined to comment.
Urban Prep's troubles run deep. A 2022 CPS memo revealed financial struggles, including reliance on credit cards and high-interest loans to make payroll. The district also launched investigations into the charter school's handling of federal Paycheck Protection Program funds during the pandemic.
Federal investigators are still investigating Urban Prep for potential fraud in receiving $3.1 million in loan payments while facing significant financial difficulties. Despite efforts by CPS to take over the charter schools, Urban Prep successfully sued and maintains control of two schools with significantly reduced enrollment numbers – fewer than 200 students across both campuses.
A Cook County Circuit judge has ordered Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to conduct a new investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Tim King, the founder and former CEO of Urban Prep Charter Schools. The allegations date back to when a 16-year-old student was allegedly groomed by King before years of "inappropriate" activity.
In a surprising turn of events, the alleged victim has recanted their accusations, stating that they never experienced any form of grooming or sexual contact with King when he was a student at Urban Prep. The former student claims to have worked for the charter school after graduation and never encountered any wrongdoing by King during his employment.
Judge Eve Reilly's decision, released last week, cited concerns over King receiving proper due process in the initial investigation. Although she did not rule on the merits of recantation, Reilly wrote that it was "just" for CPS to consider this new evidence.
King was once hailed as a hero by People magazine in 2010 for his charter schools, which boasted an impressive track record of college admissions among its predominantly black male student body. However, after the inspector general found evidence of sexual misconduct in 2022, King's reputation took a hit. He was barred from working at Urban Prep's academies and had a do-not-hire flag placed on his personnel file.
King filed a lawsuit to review the administrative findings, claiming that the investigation was flawed. His attorneys have maintained that the initial investigation was a "kangaroo" inquiry with numerous holes. In this latest development, King and his attorney have declined to comment.
Urban Prep's troubles run deep. A 2022 CPS memo revealed financial struggles, including reliance on credit cards and high-interest loans to make payroll. The district also launched investigations into the charter school's handling of federal Paycheck Protection Program funds during the pandemic.
Federal investigators are still investigating Urban Prep for potential fraud in receiving $3.1 million in loan payments while facing significant financial difficulties. Despite efforts by CPS to take over the charter schools, Urban Prep successfully sued and maintains control of two schools with significantly reduced enrollment numbers – fewer than 200 students across both campuses.
. A judge orders CPS to reopen an investigation into these allegations, but now someone's recanting their story? That's a major red flag 
. I'm not saying the original allegations were definitely true or anything, but it seems like the truth is getting lost in all this back-and-forth.
. And now they're getting sued for potential fraud? It's like a never-ending scandal 
.
i mean, come on, if someone says they were groomed and then suddenly forgets, that's a pretty big swing. AND WHAT ABOUT TIM KING'S ATTORNEYS? THEY'RE JUST SITTING THERE LIKE DUCKS, WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. WHERE WERE THEY WHEN THIS WAS GOING DOWN IN THE FIRST PLACE?!
I feel like this whole situation is super complex... So there's this guy Tim King who started a charter school that sounds amazing on paper but was later found to have some major issues, right? And now a judge is saying we need to reopen the investigation into all these allegations of sex misconduct. But here's the thing - one of the people who originally accused him has recanted their story... 
I'm not sure what to make of that. On one hand, you're like "okay, maybe he didn't do it" but on the other hand, shouldn't we be more careful about how we handle these kinds of investigations? I mean, there's a lot of money and power involved here... 
. CPS is just playing it safe, like they should've done in the first place. The guy's rep took a hit last year but I guess his connection to Urban Prep isn't as solid as everyone thought 
. Still, 16-year-old grooming? that's never okay, no matter what 
. But here's the twist: the kid who said they were groomed and all that is now saying they never experienced anything weird with King 
.
. Like, how do you even run a school in that state? It's not just about teaching kids, it's about managing finances too 
. And have you seen those new sneakers that are all over Instagram right now? I'm tempted to get a pair but they're like, super pricey 
This dude King is a master manipulator 
, first gets accused of grooming a student then recants just in time to save his rep 
.
...i get that the judge wanted to give king due process and all, but it just seems like csp is trying to save face again 
. I'm trying to understand what's going on here - was the initial investigation really so flawed that it led to these allegations being re-examined? And what does this say about CPS' handling of similar cases in the future?