A school board has fired a teacher at a middle school in Lake Forest after finding that he sexually groomed a child while working at a different school district.
The District 67 Board of Education during its Tuesday board meeting voted to terminate the employment of Deer Path Middle School math teacher Paul Brock.
Lake Forest School Districts 67 and 115 Superintendent Matthew Montgomery sent a letter to families and staff Wednesday.
Montgomery said he recommended the termination of Brock, a tenured teacher employed since 2010, consistent with the requirements in the school code based on three charges.
The first charge involved Brock’s misrepresentation of his employment history in the course of the application process with District 67.
The second charge was for engaging in a “personal and sexually grooming relationship” with a middle school student while at another school district.
The third charge was for “misrepresenting his relationship” with the student in the prior school district and “not being forthright” in the course of District 67’s investigation.
Montgomery did not specify which school district the incident occurred or when it occurred.
The Lake Forest Police Department said they have not been involved in an investigation into Brock.
“As you might imagine, this is not something we take lightly. We have offered Mr. Brock all due process as outlined by the School Code and honored all legal and contractual obligations,” Montgomery said.
The superintendent said it became clear that all three charges were fully supported by evidence following the investigation, which began last month.
“Last night’s Board action demonstrates just how seriously we take our obligation to student safety and the highest professional standards. Our students look to teachers, staff, and building leaders for guidance, support, and mentorship. Anything less is unacceptable,” Montgomery said.
The superintendent said he encourages anyone with knowledge of misconduct, past or present, to email the school’s human resources department or contact local law enforcement.