Stories by Matt Masterson

Staff at a Chicago high school reportedly spent nearly $3,200 in school gift cards on wedding favors, meals and casino purchases. That’s one of several investigations included in a newly released annual report from CPS’ watchdog.

Chicago Public Schools’ new leader Janice Jackson announces plans to hold community meetings throughout the city this spring in the hopes of sparking an open dialogue about the district’s biggest needs.

Cook County officials filed lawsuits this week against a half dozen drug companies and their subsidiaries, blaming them for aggressively marketing prescription painkillers that have led to a spike in overdose deaths.

Chicago Public Schools students are quickly approaching winter break, but some eighth-graders may have a little homework left to finish before the end of the week: fill out high school applications.

With 2017 drawing to a close, here’s a look at some of the top education issues to watch in the year to come, including CPS’ new leader, school closures and the hotly debated topic of tax credit scholarships.

An off-duty police officer shot and wounded a would-be carjacker Monday evening in the Bronzeville neighborhood, according to the Chicago Police Department, which is dealing with an unprecedented spike in vehicle thefts this year.

The Illinois State Board of Education will hold a public inquiry into Chicago Public Schools after advocate outrage stemming from a WBEZ report on the district’s special education practices.

A music teacher at Fulton Elementary has raised thousands of dollars and collected donations from around Chicago to replace dozens of instruments that were stolen from his school.

The Federal Communications Commission votes to repeal Obama-era protections for internet neutrality, citing the elimination of unnecessary regulations. But critics fear internet service providers may start using fees and censorship to limit access to some sites.

Jamie Kalven, the Chicago journalist who broke the story of Laquan McDonald’s shooting death, will not be compelled to turn over his sources or testify in open court, a judge has ruled. “To have it resolved, and definitive resolved, was a big relief,” Kalven said.

A former educator and principal, the Chicago native will attempt to bring stability to Chicago Public Schools’ tumultuous CEO position.

More than 7,000 sworn officers and personnel in the Chicago Police Department are now outfitted with body-worn cameras, a goal the city says it met more than a year early.

Forrest Claypool said he hopes that when this chapter of his life is written, “people will say that even good men can make stupid mistakes.” And with that, the embattled schools chief officially resigned on Friday as Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools.

Chicago Public Schools’ Inspector General Nicholas Schuler says CPS CEO Forrest Claypool engaged in a “cover-up” and “repeatedly lied” during a 16-month ethics investigation.

Ken Bennett has served as an aide under Barack Obama, Harold Washington and Rahm Emanuel. On Wednesday, he called out the Chicago Public Schools CEO for the district’s plan to close four Englewood high schools next year.

From 2011 to 2013, a LaSalle County physician prescribed hundreds of thousands of milligrams of controlled substances to a trio of opioid-dependent patients in exchange for sex, according to a plea agreement.

Facing ongoing controversy from an advertisement it now calls “indefensible,” a Champaign-based bus company says it hopes to “relaunch” its conduct and will cooperate with a state investigation into its business practices.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan issues a subpoena to college bus service Suburban Express over possible civil rights violations after the company told customers in an ad that “you won’t feel like you’re in China when you’re on our buses.”

As Chicago Public Schools' five-year moratorium on school closures draws to an end, the district announced plans Friday for a new series of school closings, conversions and consolidations.

A day before Chicago Public Schools is expected to unveil its action plan following a five-year neighborhood school closing moratorium, the district announced it will move to shutter one charter school and authorize another.

Part-time teachers and faculty, tired of dealing with what they see as attacks from administration on their academic freedom during labor negotiations, walked off the job Wednesday.

Chicago police say robbers on the city’s Northwest Side are deceptively warning residents of urgent situations such as gas or water leaks in order to gain entry and steal valuables.

CPS leaders want the Illinois State Board of Education to make sure the district is following best practices with its special ed programming, admitting “fundamental changes” are necessary.

“It’s a brand new beginning for me,” said Leonard Gipson, one of 15 men who had drug convictions vacated by a judge Thursday. The convictions stemmed from arrests made more than a decade ago by disgraced former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts.

Shooting deaths are down across Chicago in 2017 after last year’s unexpected spike, but this week the city homicide totals crossed another grim milestone.

Michael Borys was in jail for less than a day when he had a seizure and fell from his bunk, resulting in vision loss and multiple brain surgeries. Three years later, Cook County has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit