Accused Student Now in D203

[twhl]

Despite there not being a lot of emails, I'm sure more will come in. Also shows what can happen when you stay out in front of the circumstances instead of hoping no one will find out and the rumors go away. Kudos D203. Hopefully someone's taking notes. From what I understand, the bad apple remains at Gregory

www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=274961&src=2

Melissa Jenco
Daily Herald Staff
2/25/2009

Naperville Unit District 203 administrators were kept busy Wednesday talking to parents about the enrollment of a student accused of sexually abusing a classmate at his former school.

Superintendent Alan Leis said the school day at Lincoln Junior High, where the new student is enrolled, proceeded without incident.

Earlier this week, a 12-year-old transfer student left Gregory Middle School in neighboring Indian Prairie Unit District 204 and enrolled at Lincoln. He is one of two students from Gregory charged with felony counts of criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault stemming from an alleged attack on an 11-year-old classmate. Police say the incident occurred in November at a home on Naperville's south side.

District 203 officials sent a Talk203 e-mail to Lincoln parents Tuesday night confirming that the student, who has a parent residing in the district, is now enrolled at Lincoln. The situation already had become a hot-button issue in Indian Prairie.

District 203 administrators said they have a plan in place that will protect both the accused boy and other students at Lincoln.

Leis estimated he and his senior staff had received about 25 e-mails and 15 phone calls about the situation by mid-afternoon Wednesday.

"Anger, concern, questions, a couple people say they understand completely why we're doing what we're doing, so it's run the whole gamut," Leis said.

He said he planned to meet with Principal Pam George Wednesday afternoon and said he would continue to stay in contact with school staff.

"The report we have is things went quite well (Wednesday) at the school, no incidents, no issues at all," he said. "The goal is for staff at central office to talk ... to parents and for school folks to concentrate on having a good school environment."

[concerned2]

Wish I lived in 203. They know how to communicate and handle situations, unlike 204. I will be voting for change in April.

[slp]

War of words erupts over school sex assault
Superintendent, father find little to agree about
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/index.html

February 27, 2009

By TIM WALDORF

The dust has settled from Monday's emotional meeting of Indian Prairie School District 204's board and the more than 100 residents angered by the district's reaction to the alleged off-campus sexual assault of a Gregory Middle School student by two of his classmates.

Now, the written statements are being released.

» Click to enlarge image Gregory Middle School, 2621 Springdale Circle, Naperville, is the focus of a controversy since the reported sexual attack of one student by two others.
(James C. Svehla/Staff Photographer)

District 204 Superintendent Stephen Daeschner e-mailed parents Wednesday evening to ask for their "understanding" as the district "continue(s) to work through this emotionally charged issue."

In his message, Daeschner stressed that "the district's priority is to provide a safe learning environment," and he said he's confident the district is doing just that.

But he also explained the district's handling of the unfortunate situation, and he shared details of interactions with the involved students and their families that he'd yet to discuss in public.

But, in a statement released Thursday afternoon, the alleged victim's father responded to Daeschner's remarks, disagreeing with most all of them, essentially categorizing them as latest in a "long litany of excuses from the superintendent" -- excuses that have been "debunked publicly," he said.

Daeschner's take
Daeschner stressed that the alleged attackers -- one of whom is now attending Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville School District 203 -- cannot be deprived of their legal right to a public education.
"Considering this alleged offense took place outside of school, there are limits to what actions the district can legally take," he stated. "We cannot legally move students to a non-traditional alternative school or force them to receive their education at home."

But, he continued, if a student is not in a safe environment, or a request is made by the student's family, a student could be moved to another school within the district.

"All parents in this case have been offered the option of moving to a different school, but have so far declined the offer," Daeschner said. "A forced move to one of our other schools is an option, but we have concerns with how welcome this forced move would be received by the new school community and the impact it may have on students involved."

Then Daeschner claims that, when they informed District 204 staff of the alleged Nov. 11 sexual assault two days after it occurred, the alleged victim's parents "expressed their desire for the school to not have anything done to the students involved." It wasn't until the middle of January -- after staff had taken steps to address safety concerns, and the parents of all parties had expressed their gratitude for those efforts -- that the alleged victim's parents asked that the district move the alleged attacker out of Gregory.

No such move has been made.

"What we have the most control over is the course of action taken by our school staff to prioritize the safety of the students who remain in the school together," he said.

He closed by emphasizing that his comfort in the decision to keep the students together was recently reinforced by an civil court order in which the parties who are still at Gregory "agreed that both students could remain at the school."

"The court's directive to the students closely mirrors the multiple steps previously taken by the school beginning last November," stated Daeschner. "School administrators are confident in their ability to meet the conditions suggested by the court and will be able to continue to provide a safe and effective learning environment for all students."

The father's response
This was not just an off-campus incident, insists the alleged victim's father. Criminal activity occurred at school.
"My child was sexually assaulted by two classmates and then humiliated and intimidated through the relaying of the incident and pictures IN SCHOOL, and then physically assaulted IN SCHOOL," he said.

And, added the father, when he and his wife met at Gregory with school officials and Naperville Police, they did not say nothing should be done to the alleged attackers.

"Does anybody who is a parent REALLY think that could have been our reaction that morning?" he asked. "We have been asking for a transfer of the offenders from Day 1."

As for the agreement Daeschner referenced -- a civil no-contact order available to victims of sexual assaults -- it does not absolve District 204 from acting, said the father. In fact, he said, the district isn't even a party to it.

"It does not say 'the offender belongs at Gregory,'" he said. "It does not order the school to do anything. Only the offender. It orders the offender to stay at least 100 feet away from my son. It is the only protection my son currently has until the board acts."

The father stressed that the board has the power to move the alleged attacker who remains at Gregory, and that doing so would not violate the agreement.

The father said he still hopes the board will use its authority to reassign the students to different schools within the district.

"It is an outright shame that District 204 continues to make excuses for its deplorable failure to act positively in this situation, including extending the simple courtesy of meeting the parents of the victim," said the father. "In fact, when Dr. Daeschner finally accepted a phone call, his response was, 'What would we talk about?'

"Do really we have to explain anything further?" the father concluded.