{
  "id": 9416517,
  "title": "Chicago school board member Jessica Biggs faces scrutiny over 2018 firing as she runs for leader",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/chicago-school-board-member-jessica-biggs-faces-scrutiny-over-2018",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-23T21:26:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Chalkbeat",
    "slug": "chalkbeat",
    "url": "https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2026/09/23/jessica-biggs-firing-shadows-cps-school-board-president-race/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chicago school board candidate Jessica Biggs faces scrutiny over her 2018 termination as principal of Burke Elementary as she campaigns for the position of school board president. The controversy revolves around claims that she was terminated due to a rushed investigation following her criticism of district practices, which she maintains was unjust. Her opponents, however, argue her dismissal is disqualifying, citing a watchdog report that suggested a \"deliberate, multi-year scheme to falsify attendance data\" to improve the school's rating.\n\nAn investigation conducted by the district’s inspector general found that Biggs' staff improperly marked students tardy when they should have been marked as absent, leading to an increase in the school's attendance rate. While the report recommended disciplinary action, it did not call for her firing. Former CPS CEO Janice Jackson, who fired Biggs, now supports her school board bid, praising her for \"looking out for the kids and the families that she was entrusted with.\"\n\nBiggs' dismissal arose from complaints about attendance data manipulation and improper transportation protocols. The watchdog's report acknowledged that Burke's tardy count was significantly higher than the district average, but it could not determine the extent to which the mislabeling was intentional. The timeline of Biggs' removal from the Do Not Hire list challenges the quid pro quo allegation, but questions remain about how she obtained the designation after a previous request was denied due to the watchdog's findings.",
  "summary": "This story was reported and published in collaboration with WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times. Jessica Biggs holds up her work leading a South Side elementary school as a top reason voters should pick her in an intense fourway race for Chicago’s first elected school board president.…",
  "key_points": [
    "Jessica Biggs, Chicago school board candidate, faces scrutiny over 2018 firing.",
    "Investigation found staff improperly marked students tardy, not absent.",
    "Janice Jackson, former CPS CEO, now supports Biggs' school board bid."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}