Steinmetz Students Forced To Sit In Auditorium For Months Instead Of Taking Gym, After Teacher Suspended

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Instead of a normal gym class, many students at Steinmetz High School school sat for months in the auditorium, after their teacher was suspended and wasn't replaced.

These days, you'd be hard-pressed to find a teen complaining about using their phones, but Alexander Cuevas and his friends said they've been sitting instead of exercising during gym class at Steinmetz.

"We just sit there. We just got to use our phones and that's it," Cuevas said. "It's been pretty boring. We do completely nothing."

A source sent CBS 2 photos of Cuevas and his classmates spending the past school year in the auditorium during physical education class.

"We're not doing anything, and we can't play sports or anything. They're just telling us to sit in the auditorium, and I'm trying to play, you know? I'm trying to have fun," student Brayan Jimenez said. "It's a problem, but not big enough to where people talk about to try to fix it."

The school's website shows four physical education teachers, but Ernie Mitropoulos hasn't been on school grounds for more than a year, after he was accused of sexual harassment. His disciplinary file states he allegedly "lifted the shirt of one of the students to 'see progress.'"

Mitropoulos' letter of suspension – dated June 4, 2018 – shows he was immediately assigned to a CPS office inside another school while the district investigated. In recent months, because of a policy change, he was told to stay home in the suburbs, all while continuing to get paid.

A peek at the CPS employee roster showed his salary is nearly $100,000.

CBS 2 has been asking for months what's taking so long to decide the fate of Mitropoulos and his gym class.

Chicago Police said they don't have anything in their files with Mitropoulos' name.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said they determined in September the allegations against Mitropoulos were unfounded.

What is CPS still investigating? An emailed response from the district, dated Oct. 3, stated "the investigation remains ongoing."

On Dec. 7, when asked about gym class being held in the auditorium, with students sitting instead of exercising, the district said it was searching for a "longer-term staffing solution."

On June 14, the same answer with an added excuse: "There is a national shortage of credentialed PE teachers."

CBS 2 gave CPS several days to explain why their investigation is still open, but inquiries were ignored.

Mitropoulos has not responded to requests for comment.