On November 14th, Superintendent Matthew Montgomery emailed the parents of Lake Forest District 67 students that the Board of Education had terminated the employment of a middle school math teacher. He was terminated “for engaging, while at [Evanston/Skokie School District 65], in a personal and sexually grooming relationship with a middle school student” and lying about it. (See more details in the image below)
Past examples of sexual impropriety by adults in our local schools remind us we must remain vigilant. We commend the Board of Directors and Administration for taking this action, but they have not gone far enough.
The district claims that it followed all legally required procedures in hiring this man. Yet, we can’t shake the nauseating concern that other potential predators could have exploited the same loopholes in the district’s hiring processes. Following the law may have filled the district’s legal requirement, but as it resulted in hiring a sexual groomer, it was insufficient.
Accordingly, we call on the district to prioritize the safety of our children by hiring an independent third-party investigator to:
(1) Provide a thorough assessment of 67 and 115’s policies and practices and the circumstances of this hire. Were all procedures adequately followed? What loopholes did he exploit? What else could have been done?
(2) Based on the assessment findings and in light of the newly enacted Faith’s Law, make recommendations to the Board as to what can be done to ensure that the district has not hired, and will not hire, other dangerous people.
Lastly, we are particularly disgusted with the people at this man’s previous school district, Evanston/Skokie School District 65. They fired a man for exploiting a middle school girl but remained silent as he secured a job at our middle school just up the road. Their apparent silence makes them morally culpable.
Accordingly, we are expanding its investigation to include the procedures and individuals at that school district as well. Parents who care can not allow this issue to be swept under the rug.
Subscribe
