Former CPS Student Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted by Security Guard: Lawsuit

CHICAGO – A case was initiated against v Chicago Office of Education and a former security guard at a local high school on charges of repeated sexual abuse and violence then a 15-year-old student.

The complaint, filed by Lane Brown, LLC on behalf of the plaintiff, identified as John Doe, alleges sexual assaults that occurred in 2021 during training.

John Doe, now 18, said he was targeted by school security guard Tyven Carter on his first day at Dunbar Vocational Career Academy because of his age, height and status as a new student. According to lawyers, the security guard promised to protect John Doe from school bullies and won the trust of his family by meeting his mother.

The complaint details how Carter’s grooming tactics included daily meetings with the student, including almost daily removing John Doe from classes to secluded areas, such as a faculty-only computer lab, for sexual assault.

The lawsuit accused Carter, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to sexually assaulting and abusing John Doe and another Dunbar student, of repeated acts of sexual assault and battery. According to the documents, six high school staff members allegedly witnessed Carter’s behavior and failed to report it to the appropriate authorities, as required by Chicago Board of Education and Training policy.

The lawsuit alleged that Carter used physical force against John Doe, such as pushing him against a wall, choking him and sexually assaulting him.

The abuse came to light when John Doe reported the incidents to his mother, which led to reports being filed with the Chicago Police Department and the school, the subsequent arrest of the security guard, and his guilty plea.

“How many unauthorized removals from a classroom does it take before the staff starts questioning the behavior of a security guard? The school failed me,” John Doe said in a statement.

Attorneys for John Doe are seeking at least $50,000 for each of the six counts in the complaint.

“(John Doe} should be compensated under our laws for the tremendous harm he has suffered,” said John Doe’s attorney, Nick Camenjarin. “Of course, he would like an apology and an acknowledgment of what happened to him from CPS, which they didn’t come to find out how he was doing or to apologize.”

CPS released the following statement in response:

“The safety and well-being of our staff and students are top priorities and fundamental to our school communities. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is proactive in preventing sexual assault and takes all reports of abuse seriously. The district’s leadership and staff understand the trauma of the impact of sexual assault and are constantly striving to educate administrators, teachers and students about the topic, and the district has no comment on ongoing litigation.”