Attacks on Jessica Biggs are Innacurate
1. This firing was retaliatory
CPS’ decision to fire Jessica Biggs was immediately seen as retaliatory. Biggs had spoken out against flawed clean-up practices by CPS clouted contractor Aramark on May 3, 2018 – just 11 days before the OIG report was completed and just a few weeks before she was fired.
WBEZ reported at the time: “Teachers, parents, students, and prominent community members gathered in Burke Elementary School’s small auditorium earlier this week. They were demanding to know what principal Jessica Biggs did that was so bad that Chicago Public Schools decided to fire her and why they weren’t consulted. They worried that the firing was tied to Biggs’ role illuminating problems at the heart of scandals that rocked the school district this nyear. [...] Some wondered whether the school district was being so aggressive in firing Biggs because Burke was in the news so much in the past year. In the midst of the dirty school scandal, Burke’s teachers complained bitterly when cleaners came into the school and left it a mess.”
Biggs was also singled out over minor bureaucratic violations. The CPS Inspector General acknowledged that “His office has documented several cases where principals fudged attendance or other data, but in only one other case did the school district fire the employee.”
Former CPS Chief Talent Officer Matt Lyons later wrote that Biggs’ firing centered on “two unrelated, minor policy violations … Neither posed harm to students, reflected dishonesty, or called her judgment or character into question.”
The attacks on Jessica Biggs center on a deeply flawed investigation – that Biggs was denied a proper chance to respond to and that did not warrant the severe punishment Biggs received. Biggs has a clear record as a successful and effective school leader.
Matt Lyons Letter of Support to CPS, 7/27/25
2. The Investigation Into Biggs Was Deeply Flawed
The OIG’s investigation into Biggs was deeply flawed. That investigation:
Failed to review “relevant physical records, including tardy books and logs, and did not evaluate prior audits of Burke’s attendance books in which no significant discrepancies were noted.”
Failed to “compare the use of the “tardy” attendance code by Burke, an “early start” school, with other early start schools, rather than all schools within Burke’s Network.”
Failed to “interview current Burke teachers and staff who participated in attendance reporting procedures relevant to the OIG’s investigation.”
Failed to “substantiate claims made by former teachers or staff whom it did interview, all of whom are no longer employed at Burke.”
Evidence showed that “Biggs never instructed attendance clerks to mark students tardy in contravention of CBE policy, and never instructed clerks to mark any student’s attendance in a particular way.”
The District Court agreed, finding that:
3. Biggs Was Not Given An Opportunity To Respond
Biggs was not given an opportunity to respond to or contest the findings of the OIG report. She was abruptly terminated at 2 PM on June 29, 2018 without ever having seen the OIG’s report and through a written notice that did not mention the OIG report. The report was only shared with her later – at 3:29 PM that same day.
4. The OIG’s Report Did Not Recommend Termination
The OIG’s report on Biggs did not recommend termination, only appropriate discipline:
“Based on its investigation…the OIG recommends appropriate discipline for Jessica Biggs.”
5. Biggs Was An Exemplary Principal
Biggs was a high-performing principal. Under her leadership:
The percentage of students performing at or above grade level in reading and math doubled.
Burke’s 5Essentials evaluation improved from “Not Yet Organized” to “Well Organized”
Burke’s out of school suspension rate decreased by a factor of nearly thirty
Biggs never received any evaluation finding her less than “proficient”
In 2013, Biggs was given Mayor of Chicago’s Principal Achievement Award for reading and math growth above the 90th percentile
Biggs received the Community Educator Award from the Bronzeville Alliance in 2015 and the South East Chicago Commission recognized her as the Community Leader in Washington Park and presented her with an award for outstanding service to the community in 2017.
6. Biggs had no influence over the decision to reinstate her hiring status
Biggs’ appeal regarding her DNH status was evaluated by outside counsel from Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP – who made the decision to reinstate her.
