Embattled Chicago schools chief quits amid ethics probe

Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool announced his resignation Friday at a news conference. (Photo: Forrest Claypool/Twitter)

CHICAGO— The head of Chicago’s public schools system is stepping down amid allegations that he engaged in a “full-blown coverup” to block an ethics investigation.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool announced his resignation Friday at a news conference. He apologized but he didn’t take questions.

The resignation follows Inspector General Nicholas Schuler’s recommendation that Claypool be fired. He concluded Claypool had lied during a probe by denying he’d asked an attorney to alter a bill for legal advice on an ethics issue.

Claypool is a close friend of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his resignation is the latest embarrassment for the mayor who tapped him to run the nation’s third-largest school district after Claypool’s predecessor, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, became embroiled in a bribery scandal that landed her in prison.