The superintendent of Lake Forest Schools says he is “deeply concerned” and has ordered an audit after the district hired a person who was previously accused of inappropriate behavior with a student.
Lake Forest School Districts 67 and 115 Superintendent Matthew Montgomery sent a letter to parents of both school districts about the incident.
District 67’s annual Staff Institute Day was held on August 19. “The spirit in the air was celebratory and full of anticipation,” Montgomery said.
A District 67 staff member came forward at the end of the day with a “disturbing report” about one of the district’s newly hired teaching assistants.
The individual had no interaction with students in the district and was still pending board approval. They were invited to participate in onboarding with the District 67 staff during the Staff Institute Day.
The staff report prompted an immediate investigation, which revealed that the individual had allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with a student in an out-of-state district.
The individual misled District 67 staff on his resume and in his application process.
Montgomery said that because criminal charges were not filed, the allegation did not appear on his background check or in his professional references.
District 67 rescinded the man’s offer of employment. “We are deeply grateful to the staff member who reported this finding immediately upon learning concerning information,” Montgomery said.
The superintendent said the district conducts reference, sex offender registry and violent offender registry checks, along with social media reviews.
“Despite strengthening our processes, I am deeply concerned about the number of times this issue has surfaced in our districts,” Montgomery said.
“To that end, I am calling for a full independent audit of our Human Resources hiring and vetting processes. I am currently curating third-party proposals for review by the Board,” he added.
The audit will guide the next steps in the matter and may include disciplinary measures if warranted.
“There is nothing more important to me, to our Boards of Education, and to our district employees than the safety of our children. I want to ensure our community that we are doing everything we possibly can to root out individuals who cannot and should not work with children,” Montgomery said.
“Despite the fact that this individual has never interacted with students in our districts, it is disheartening that we are, yet again, confronted with the reality that there are individuals who prey on children and vulnerable people in our communities,” he added.