CHICAGO — A former CPS student has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Board of Education, alleging it failed to conduct a thorough background check on a security guard who was later accused of sexual assault.
The former Farragut Career Academy security guard, 45-year-old Romel Campoverde, who was criminally charged in July of 2023 for allegedly sexually assaulting the student, is currently awaiting trial.
The former student has now filed a civil complaint alleging the district violated its own hiring policy, noting Campoverde’s documented violent background.
According to the six-count civil complaint, Chicago Public Schools violated its own hiring policy and regulations by not doing a proper background check on Campoverde.
The complaint goes on to say Campoverde was a longtime and documented member of a street gang.
Between 2000 and 2020, Campoverde was arrested and charged with crimes on 16 ocassions, including several aggravated assault charges with a weapon, aggravated battery and burglary charges.
The plantiff, identified as Jane Doe, alleges the pair met in 2022 when doe was a freshmen at Farragut on Chicago’s West Side.
“What Romel Campoverde did to me changed everything. I used to be a happy, outgoing teenager. I loved school. I trusted adults. After the attack, I couldn’t go back to my school – I missed a whole year because I was too afraid. Too afraid to face my classmates, teachers, and other security guards. Even now, I still have nightmares. CPS hired a man to protect us that they should have known was violent. They were supposed to protect me. They didn’t,” the defendant said in a statement.
The lawsuit further alleges that Campoverde began grooming the plantiff and would text on a regualr basis.
In 2023, when Doe was 15, the suspect allegedly gave her alcohol and raped her off campus.
Campoverde was later charged with criminal sexual assault and is set to return to court on August 25th on the charge.
In a statement shared on Wednesday, a spokesperson for CPS said the district was not able to comment on pending litigation, but said the district is committed to students’ safety.
“Chicago Public Schools (CPS) remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its students. In accordance with District policy, CPS does not comment on matters involving pending litigation,” a district spokesperson said.
Later Wednesday morning, at 11 a.m., the former student’s attorney is expecetd to speak on the recently filed civil lawsuit.
