CPS Principal In Hot Water For Renting Out School

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 23, 2009 6:30PM

Dushon Brown, principal of Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, had to take 20 unpaid days of leave this summer for renting out the school without the Chicago Public School system's permission, according to the Tribune.

Renting out a high school is not against district policy, but documents show Brown did so without approval from the local school council or her school district area supervisor. The situation came to light after Chicago police shut down one party held on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2008, when it ran past the city's 10:30 p.m. curfew for minors.

The party, called Juke Fest after a popular Chicago style of dance, also cost the school district $4,300 to repair a wheelchair ramp damaged as police dispersed the crowd. The event promoter's insurance should have covered the cost of fixing the mangled metal ramp, but district officials said Brown failed to verify the insurance was authentic.

Adding insult to injury, the party, held in the school's gym, crammed twice the amount of people into the gym than it's capacity allows. Brown defended herself, saying it was a fundraiser, claiming she was unaware of the curfew, and that large events have been held in the gym before. She told the Trib, "I think it was very inappropriate and excessive, especially since it was all about trying to raise money for the kids."