District 67 Fails to Report Sex Offender Incident
UPDATE: Yesterday, we sent you an email concerning the below troubling story of a man on the sex offender registry being arrested for unlawful presence in a school zone. Our investigation into this story continues, and we wanted to share additional information we have discovered in the last 24 hours since we sent our email. We've learned that the man was charged because police believed he was on the grounds of the Lake Forest Park District and the preschool operating at that property, which is directly adjacent to Deer Path Middle School. This puts the man near the Lake Forest Park District, Deer Path Middle School, and the preschool (in Illinois convicted sex offenders are not allowed within 500 feet of a school). As you can see in the map below he was frighteningly close to DPM. Lake Forest Park District and School District 67's Deer Path Middle School share an area south of Deerpath Road in Lake Forest, This picture is taken from the Park District property where the man was apprehended, just a short walk to the Deer Path School playground. We believe District 67 has a duty to report this dangerous incident to parents. The presence of a registered sex offender near school grounds, especially in proximity to children, represents a potential safety risk that parents deserve to know about. Deer Path Parents deserve to know so they can ask their children if, God forbid, they had any interaction with this individual. Transparency and timely communication are critical in maintaining trust between the school district and parents. Reporting the incident would have allowed parents to stay informed and be vigilant, reinforcing the district's commitment to the safety of its students and community. By not reporting, the district risks appearing to downplay or conceal information that parents would consider critical to their children's safety, which could erode trust and confidence in the administration. We will continue to investigate this matter and share with you what we learn. Best regards, Parents Care.
October 03, 2024Another Lake Forest Schools Predator Scandal Demonstrates the Critical Importance of Community Oversight
Dear Lake Forest & Lake Bluff Neighbors, "Better schools through community oversight." That is Parents Care's motto and what has motivated us daily over the past two years. The events that transpired in Lake Forest Schools involving yet another alleged child sexual groomer have reminded us all of the necessity of independent community oversight and the vital role you play in helping it succeed through your support.
August 29, 2024Another School Employee Under Police Investigation Terminated
We are writing to inform you about a deeply concerning issue that has recently come to light. Thanks in part to the vigilance and determination of Parents Care and conscientious whistleblowers in the District, we were able to remove a potentially dangerous new District 67 hire under active police investigation from the classroom before he was given access to children. Yesterday, we submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to District 67, specifically seeking information about new hires, including a detailed inquiry into the background of Markise Jackson, a newly hired teaching assistant. In our FOIA request, we shared with the District, Board President, Superintendent and Human Resources lead a troubling news article discovered through our simple due diligence Google search. The article reveals that Mr. Jackson, a former teacher at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, resigned in lieu of termination amidst a criminal investigation into "inappropriate conduct." According to the article, he is under active criminal investigation for inappropriate conduct with students by the Kenosha Police Department. Read the News Article (We did not make this information public yesterday in the abundance of caution and a desire to verify that the new hire was the same individual. We would have gone public today before the first day of school had the District not responded or acted.)
August 20, 2024Op-Ed: Greater Transparency Will Make Our Schools Safer for Students
Parents Care released a report yesterday detailing our investigation into the termination of Lake Forest High School District 115 employee Ryan Eleveld (known to students as Mx. E) earlier this school year. Please take a moment to read the Executive Summary and report at this link if you have not already. Parents Care Board Member Philippe Melin writes to remind us why transparency is critical to keeping our kids safe and offer the elected school board a renewed call to action.
May 24, 2024Special Report: Lake Forest High School Teacher Misconduct
We have important information regarding alleged misconduct by another Lake Forest High School employee, Ryan Eleveld (known to students as Mx. E), that was not reported to parents or the community. While our investigation is ongoing, and we will keep you updated with developments, we have sufficient information to release a preliminary report. Additionally, we would like to thank the brave LFHS student who used our confidential reporting tool to inform us of this incident. Without his bold action, we would not have been able to conduct this investigation, and neither the parents of children in contact with Ryan Elveld nor the Lake Forest-Bluff community would have ever known what transpired this school year. If you have any additional concerns or information to report, please use our confidential reporting tool. Thank you, Parents Care
May 23, 2024Good Times For Some, But Not All
Property tax bills have arrived, and Lake Forest-Bluff residents are feeling the heat of Lake Forest School District 115's school board's prodigality. The portion of property taxes each household has to pay for Lake Forest High School alone increased this year by approximately 17%. Taxpayers are currently paying the costs of the high school's three separate bond issuances, including the Board's unnecessary decision to borrow the full amount of the referendum this year instead of over time. Ouch.
May 17, 2024Mo Money, Mo Consultants
Epic rapper Notorious BIG said it all, "Mo Money, Mo Problems," and Superintendent Matt Montgomery and the D67 Board seem to have their version of this rap standard addressing issues at Cherokee Elementary. If the complaints we have received from parents and teachers these last 24 hours are any indication, for Cherokee and other Lake Forest Schools, the title of this song would be: "MO MONEY, MO CONSULTANTS."
May 07, 2024Portrait of a Leader
by Jeff Brincat Whenever I see what I regard as a deficiency in our schools or school boards, I ask, "What would I do were I in that position?" I have employed these mental exercises when confronting challenges in my business, philanthropy, or any other difficult decision. I have had a lifetime of experience in leadership- be it as a Company Commander in the Marine Corps, 27 years of leading my own business, or when running a state agency here in Illinois under two governors and chairing several worthwhile philanthropic organizations- and I always come back to several core principles, which I think are essential to share given what is happening in Lake Forest Schools.
April 18, 2024The Truth About That Aaa Bond Rating
A Parents Care Editorial by Executive Director Frank McCormick Tonight, the District sent out two emails celebrating District 67's 14th consecutive year of earning an Aaa bond rating from Moody's. Good news, right? I wish it were that simple because behind the glowing emails is a cold reality: the District scores an Aaa Bond rating because of how much you're taxed.
April 15, 2024Ensuring Child Safety: Policy Recommendations for Our Schools
As concerned parents and community members, we must take decisive action to safeguard our children's well-being in our local schools. Recent incidents of adult misconduct have revealed glaring gaps in our schools' policies and practices. Our Boards of Education and Administration must address these deficiencies and implement measures that prioritize student safety above all else.
April 11, 2024A Cherokee Teacher Speaks Out
By Anyonymous Teacher Dear Lake Forest, We must advocate for the children in our community. It is not a secret in the Lake Forest community that Cherokee has serious behavior problems, and the district administrators are doing nothing about them.
April 11, 2024Teachers at Cherokee Are Frustrated
New Admin policies are affecting their ability to teach; teachers allege retaliation for voicing concerns Meet Kate Cavanaugh, Cherokee Elementary School's principal. A review of Dr. Cavanaugh's mentions on Twitter and her published works shows she is passionate about "inclusive classrooms." At first blush, one might think inclusivity is limited to demography or learning disabilities. But it appears that Dr. Cavanaugh's definition is much broader to include students with significant "social, emotional, and behavioral challenges". For example, she writes: "Seven years into our inclusive practices work [at District 67], things are not perfect. Some of the biggest challenges we face are supporting students with significant social, emotional, and behavioral challenges..." (Actions that Move Us Closer to Inclusion, 8/1/23)
April 04, 2024An Unexpected Resignation
While the District hasn't formally announced it, Parents Care would like to inform you that Lake Forest High School District 115 School Board Member Marcus Schabacker has announced his resignation from the Board effective April 30, citing unforeseen personal and professional obligations. While we have not always seen eye to eye with Dr. Schabacker- mainly regarding his support of the drawn-out District COVID policies, which we believe hurt students, Parents Care wholeheartedly extends our gratitude to Dr. Schabacker for his service on the Board.
March 13, 2024Dr. Montgomery, Please Apologize for Your Unfounded Accusations
In the interest of transparency, we are happy to promote further last week's Lake Forest Podcast, which features Superintendent Matt Montgomery and District115 Board President John Noble. You can view it here. To be sure, we hope you enjoy this opportunity to hear about so many of the district's and board's positions directly from them during this interview. Regretfully, we must call your attention to a grave matter. Superintendent Montgomery’s allegation that Parents Care is an opposition group and, in particular, a very disparaging and baseless allegation he made:
March 11, 2024Lake Forest Schools Disturbing Secrecy Concerning Child Predators
Reader Warning: Recognizing that this is a sensitive topic, and out of respect to our readers, we wanted to offer an advanced warning to our readers who may find this topic difficult to read about. This issue of our newsletter deals with issues surrounding child predators, sexual abuse, suicide, and substance abuse. Please see our confidential tip line at the end of this email.
March 01, 2024Breaking: Worker at LFHS Fired for Soliciting a Relationship with a Minor
Note: At the time of publication, Lake Forest Public Schools did not make any announcements concerning this incident, nor did the administration or the Board of Education comment on it. Dear Community: We are writing you regarding an incident that took place last week at Lake Forest High School. After receiving a tip from a concerned parent and verifying the story with a whistleblower who works at Lake Forest High School, we can confirm that an adult Lake Forest High School food service worker's employment was terminated for soliciting a relationship with a minor. As you can imagine, this is not something we take lightly. The steps we have taken to investigate this incident and promptly notify families and taxpayers in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff communicate just how seriously we take our obligation to child safety and the professional standards we expect from our schools. Our children look to teachers, staff, and building leaders for guidance, support, and mentorship. Anything less is unacceptable. As a reminder, we encourage anyone with knowledge of past or present misconduct to email [email protected] or contact local law enforcement. The Text-a-Tip crisis hotline is also available, provided by LEAD at 844-823-5323 (community code: LAKECO). You may also reach out to Parents Care at [email protected] if you have information about our local schools, positive or negative, that you think should be made public. We always respect privacy and requests for anonymity. Sincerely, Parents CareLake Forest and Lake Bluff
February 24, 2024Special Report: The $30,000.00 Construction Documentary
At a STARTING cost of $29,424- plus $250/hour- District 115's "Under the Hardhat" documentary is salt in the wound following Dr. Montgomery's "no fluff" promised $106,000,000.00 tax increase. SUBSCRIBE AND STAY INFORMED The majority of taxpayers agree: Lake Forest High School District 115's recent taxpayer-subsidized publicity stunt- ironically trying to convince taxpayers that their money is being wisely spent- is a bridge too far. We won't be manipulated into "feeling" that our tax dollars are being wisely spent when all evidence shows the contrary.
February 16, 2024Op-Ed: Rethinking Snow Days
While Chicago winters require schools to balance the importance of school attendance with safety, the administration must update its school closure policies to align their decision with real-time conditions, not a forecast alert. Forecast alerts overstate the impact and magnitude of storm systems due to an industry-accepted practice known as “wet bias” under the rationale that the value to life in overprojecting risks outweighs the inconveniences of public overpreparation. Unfortunately, in their value calculation, meteorological organizations do not consider that school administrations would base closures on advanced alerts and forecasts instead of real-time conditions. However, to be fair, this burden should not fall on meteorologists; we should expect school administrators to differentiate between a public forecast alert and real-time conditions.
January 12, 2024Sexual Groomer Update
My name is Frank McCormick, the executive director of Parents Care, and I want to use this opportunity to respond to the countless parents and community members who have asked questions and shared their concerns over the employment of a sexual groomer of middle school girls at Deerpath Middle School for over a decade. I want to assure you that both myself and our Board President, Jeff Brincat, are personally involved in getting answers to your questions about both how this happened and how it was handled, as well as if there was any impropriety during his tenure (yes, we have received complaints from former students).
December 29, 2023Community Op-Ed: "Portrait of a District: the Inconvenient Truth"
Last week, I heard an interview with Lake Forest District 115 & 67 superintendent Dr. Matthew Montgomery and District 115 board president John Noble on Lake Forest on Topic, a Lake Forest for Transparency program. During the podcast, both men defended the disappointing 2023 Illinois Report Card proficiency rates earned by Lake Forest High School (LFHS) students. Mr. Noble downplayed school-to-school score comparisons, highlighting instead successful academic “growth” over the course of a student’s career at District 67 & 115, and Dr. Montgomery, likewise, emphasized a “constant state of improvement” among students. Dr. Montgomery went on to elicit his favorite talking point that, though 35% of students languish below proficiency in Math and Reading, LFHS ranks among the top 10% of Illinois high schools.
December 22, 2023Subscribe
