Bennett Haeberle - Reporter

AN HONOR and AN UPDATE:

I'm excited to announce that our investigative series "Lessons in Betrayal" earned a National Headliner Award.

Our reporting uncovered allegations of s*xual misconduct and boundary violations at one Chicago public high school. As a result, the nation's fourth largest school district enacted a series of policy changes to better protect students and recent graduates. One of the survivors we profiled was awarded a $17.5 million legal settlement with the district.

This was reporting that effectuated change and it wouldn't have been possible without the tremendous work of my colleagues Lisa Capitanini and Nathan Halder and the newsroom at NBC 5 Chicago.

It was important work.

And it is with mixed emotions that I announce that my time at NBC Chicago, WMAQ-TV has ended.

I'm proud of the work we accomplished and excited to explore all future opportunities.

I've been so encouraged by the conversations I've had already with so many of you. Thank you. I look forward to connecting with more of you on this platform and beyond.

And a big congrats to all the winners for your hard work:

https://www.headlinerawards.org/2026/04/27/2026-national-headliner-awards-winners-announced/

The numbers have skyrocketed: with 70,000 people in ICE custody, the number of habeas petitions filed in court challenging the arrest and indefinite detention of immigrants has reached historic levels.

It is believed to be among the largest s*x abuse settlements in Illinois history.

Tomorrow, the Chicago Board of Education is expected to vote on whether to approve a $17.5 million settlement for a former student who was s*xually abused by a former school administrator.

An NBC Chicago investigation earlier this year found the former administrator, Brian Crowder, is one of seven former educators who had been fired or resigned from Little Village Lawndale High School since 2017 while under investigation for s*xual misconduct.

He is the only one to have been criminally charged and convicted.

The former student, now in her 20s, sued Chicago Public Schools last year over the abuse. And she shared her story with NBC Chicago earlier this year as part of our "Lessons in Betrayal" series.

A link to tonight's report is in the comments:

"Where do you find your stories?"

It's a questioned I've been asked a lot over 22 years of being a reporter. The short answer is - from you.

They come from the communities we cover.

The longer answer is that they come from a variety of sources: from tips from viewers; from public records requests; from school board meeting minutes; from lawsuits; from community members who tell us about they're concerned about "x" or "y".

Recently, NBC Chicago started something we call "The Story Behind the Story."

This episode is a little behind-the-scenes explainer about our investigation "Lessons in Betrayal," - which helped expose an alleged culture of s*xual misconduct inside one Chicago public high school.

Our reporting brought to light what had been kept in the dark for years.

Since 2017, least seven teachers from Little Lawndale High School had resigned or been fired while under investigation for s*xual misconduct allegations.

Since our stories aired, the Chicago Public Schools' inspector general substantiated many of the allegations against the educators, who are now banned from working at CPS.

And the CPS Board of Education has crafted and adopted policy changes aimed at better protecting students and recent graduates.

Sexual misconduct at Chicago high school: Inside NBC 5’s revealing investigation NBC 5 Investigates uncovers allegations of s*xual misconduct and grooming involving several educators at the same Chicago high school campus. The claims span...

Sometimes we have to tell difficult stories. Sometimes they involve hardships families endure. And they put their trust in us to explain what happened.

Last night, one of those stories was recognized.

Almost a year ago, a Highland Park family lost their son inside a residential treatment facility. They sent them there hoping he’d get help.

He died - unsupervised in his room.

In the two weeks before that, he’d twice told a therapist he had a plan to take his own life. It’s documented. His parents were not told.

The facility was later cited for failing to folllow its own guidelines. The state of Utah banned the facility from admitting anymore children - but only for three months. The program passed additional inspections and began admitting more kids seeking help.

What happened to Biruk Silvers is part of a pattern I’ve seen over years of investigating the so-called troubled teen industry.

I’m grateful that his parents agreed to share his story. Biruk’s legacy is more than just how his life ended.

And I’m smiling in the photo because I work with tremendous people - specifically Nathan Halder and Donte Diesel Williams who helped me tell this investigative story.

NBC Chicago is filled with dedicated journalists like them and managers who support our work. And I’m grateful for that too.

But what the subjects of our stories endure - that’s never lost on me.

Honored to nominated for 10 Emmys including in the investigative reporter, investigative series and investigative report categories, among others.

I’m grateful for the recognition, which I think is a testament to two things: the hard work of my tremendously talented colleagues who help me pursue, research and craft these stories; and most importantly, the people who have the courage to come forward and tell their stories to us.

Sad news to pass along. Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg has died following a long fight against cancer.

Ryne Sandberg has died at age 65, Cubs announce Monday

It's been a busy week.

We learned about two major updates stemming from our recent investigative series "Lessons in Betrayal."

Chicago Public Schools' inspector general substantiated claims of misconduct involving two educators who were referenced in our reporting.

If you don't remember, several former students came forward to us this spring with allegations that they felt like they were groomed into s*xual relationships by various former teachers at Little Village Lawndale High School in Chicago. The former students were also critical of Chicago Public Schools and the fact that this investigation by the inspector general has taken nearly three years to complete.

Here's last night's report (I'll post the other in the comments):

CPS inspector general substantiates allegations against former principal at Little Village Lawndale Chicago Public Schools’ inspector general has substantiated allegations of inappropriate conduct against a former principal at Little Village Lawndale High School, according to a letter obtained by NBC 5 Investigates.

My colleague Alex Maragos asked me to be on his podcast The Takeaway to discuss a story that’s had quite the narrative arc - Chicago’s response to an influx of tens of thousands of migrants.

The headline is centered on a recent story we reported - how taxpayers will fork over more than $3.1 million for an empty lot once meant to house up to 2,000 migrants.

But there’s much more to the story.

Chicago’s response, which once dominated the headlines for months, has now given way to a new chapter with increased immigration enforcement efforts under the Trump administration.

We discuss all of that and more. I would love it if you gave it a watch/listen:

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