Warning: This article contains discussion of alleged child sexual abuse.
A Chicago woman who says she was sexually abused by her elementary school teacher more than four decades ago is continuing to press Chicago Public Schools for answers after DNA testing confirmed that the former teacher fathered the child she gave birth to as a teenager, according to a FOX 32 Chicago report by Tia Ewing.
Ewing said newly obtained CPS personnel records now place former teacher Richard Neff at schools connected to Nancy Alexander during the same period in which she says the abuse occurred, adding another piece to a case that has stretched across decades and is now moving through the courts.
Alexander says she was about 12 or 13 when the abuse began and that she became pregnant at 15 before giving birth at 16.
Records Place Neff At Schools Alexander Attended
Ewing reported that FOX 32 obtained more than 200 pages of CPS records through public-records requests, tracing Neff’s employment history with the district back to 1969.
According to those documents, Neff’s own résumé shows he was teaching at DuSable Upper Grade Center by October 1969.
CPS personnel records later placed him at Farren and Parkman elementary schools between September 1973 and June 1982, with additional records specifically showing him at Farren in 1978 and again at Parkman during the summer of 1983.
Those dates matter because Alexander says Neff was the teacher assigned to help her with reading.
She told Ewing that she had epilepsy as a child and struggled academically, particularly with reading, so the school placed her with Neff for extra help.
“They felt that I was falling behind, that I needed help,” Alexander said.
Instead of receiving that help, she says, she was sexually abused by him inside the classroom.
Alexander Says Abuse Happened Behind Closed Doors
Alexander told Ewing that the alleged abuse began when she was around 12 or 13.
She described how classroom layouts and routines made it possible, in her account, for the abuse to happen without anyone intervening.
Alexander said windows could be covered, classroom doors could be locked, and parts of the room were not easily visible from the entrance.
“Nobody never came in his classroom,” she said. “Nobody ever said anything to him.”
She later became pregnant and gave birth at 16.
The fact that Neff’s personnel records now place him at the same schools during the period Alexander describes does not, by itself, prove every allegation, but it does establish an important part of the timeline that had remained disputed or unclear for years.
DNA Connected Alexander With Neff’s Family
Alexander told FOX 32 that she kept the identity of her daughter’s father secret for decades.
After becoming ill, she decided she did not want to die without telling the truth.
Using a DNA-matching website, Alexander connected with one of Neff’s daughters, identified in the report only as “M.”
Neff’s daughter later traveled to Chicago and provided DNA to police.
According to the family, the testing confirmed that Neff fathered the daughter Alexander gave birth to when she was still a minor.
M told Ewing that she also helped Alexander report the allegations to Chicago Public Schools because Alexander has dyslexia and struggles with reading and paperwork.
“My father was her reading teacher,” M said. “She never learned how to read very well.”
That detail makes the case especially difficult to ignore. The person Alexander says was supposed to help her overcome an educational struggle is the same person she accuses of exploiting her vulnerability.
CPS Records Show Other Allegations Reached The District
The newly released records also show that CPS later became aware of sexual-abuse allegations involving Neff.
Ewing reported that one district document says CPS learned of allegations on Sept. 26, 2022, involving a former student who said Neff began sexually abusing her in elementary school in the late 1970s and continued through 1982.
The report said the alleged contact began with shoulder rubbing and escalated to sexual activity, including alleged encounters in a classroom.
That former student also alleged that Neff told her not to tell anyone and warned that nobody would believe her.
The CPS record did not identify that woman as Alexander.
Another district document indicated the complaint had been previously documented and that the Office of Inspector General had an open investigation involving the allegations.
The records released to FOX 32, however, did not show how that investigation ultimately ended.
That absence leaves a major gap in the paper trail.
Statute Of Limitations Remains A Barrier
Ewing also examined why Alexander may have limited options through the criminal justice system.
Illinois later eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for certain sexual offenses, but the legal change came decades after Alexander says she was abused.
Carrie Ward, CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, explained that advocates pushed for the law because survivors often take years or decades before they are ready to report abuse.
Under the old system, Ward said survivors generally had to report to police within three years and pursue a case within 10 years.
“It definitely was that survivors couldn’t go back far enough,” Ward said.
The law changed in 2019 and took effect in 2020, but Ward emphasized that it is not retroactive.
That means cases in which the old statute of limitations had already expired were not automatically revived.
For Alexander, that may mean the law changed too late to reopen one path to prosecution.
Alexander Is Now Suing For Her Own School Records
Although CPS has released hundreds of pages concerning Neff’s career, Alexander says she still cannot get the records most personal to her own case: her student files.
Her attorney Jarrett Adams told Ewing that requests for records from Farren and Parkman elementary schools have gone unanswered.
The attorney said Alexander filed a formal complaint through CPS channels in 2023 and followed up with additional records requests in 2024.
A lawsuit filed against the Chicago Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools now asks a judge to force the district to produce those student records.
The complaint includes a 2024 email request along with hand-delivered letters sent to CPS leadership this year.
Neff, now 79, is not named as a defendant in that lawsuit.
The records could help answer a basic but important question: whether Alexander’s own student file places her and Neff in the same school and instructional setting at the same time.
CPS Says It Prioritizes Student Safety
When FOX 32 first reported Alexander’s allegations, CPS said the district was committed to providing a safe learning environment and continually improving its safety policies and procedures.
Ewing noted that CPS had initially provided information about a different employment period for a Richard Neff, saying he worked for the district from 1993 until 2002.
The personnel file obtained later by FOX 32 traced Neff’s career much further back, including the years tied to Alexander’s allegations.
That discrepancy makes the newly released records especially important because they give a much fuller picture of his CPS employment history.
The documents show work in reading programs, services for students with learning disabilities, vocational support and later administrative positions.
Alexander Says She Still Wants Justice
For Alexander, the fight is no longer only about what happened decades ago.
It is also about forcing institutions to account for records, complaints and unanswered questions that she says have followed her for most of her life.
Her attorney said CPS has “completely ignored” efforts to obtain her files.
Alexander, meanwhile, told Ewing that she wants the truth formally acknowledged and wants some measure of peace for herself and her daughter.
“What does justice look like to you?” Ewing asked her.
“Can somebody please help me?” Alexander replied. “I need justice. I want justice.”
More than four decades after she says the abuse began inside a classroom, Alexander is still trying to obtain records that could help complete the story of what happened.
The DNA result gave her one answer.
The CPS paper trail gave her another.
What she says she still does not have is accountability.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.
