Parents and advocates urge action after public commenters accuse CHSD 128 of failing to report alleged abuse

At a packed Community High School District 128 board meeting, multiple parents and community advocates used the public-comment period to press the board for action after alleging that district staff failed to report and address alleged sexual misconduct and grooming.

Dan Vasnos, a parent and former school administrator, said a 15-year-old student with Down syndrome was “allegedly subjected to a calculated campaign of grooming and abuse by a teacher in this district,” and said voicemail evidence and a lawsuit documented the conduct. Vasnos told the board he had reviewed internal emails and said in one, he was copied on an early-retirement buyout offered to the teacher instead of a formal report or removal. He said Representative Musman confirmed in writing that the district did not follow state law and that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has an open investigation.

“Under Illinois law, mandated reporters who willfully fail to report suspected abuse are guilty of a class A misdemeanor,” Vasnos told the board, urging immediate action and accountability.

Other speakers echoed the call for transparency. Marne Navaro said the district has a “long history of corruption, collusion, and coverup” and named both a currently litigated case and a list of former and current staff who she said were accused of misconduct. She urged the board and Superintendent Mark Schaefer to stop “ushering perpetrators out via early retirement with full pension” and to open independent investigations.

Parents and former staff who addressed the board described similar concerns. Amy Frons, a special educator, said she has “laid out the issue with this vulnerable student” in prior comments and described a pattern of settlements and quiet payroll actions that, she said, are “not accountability.” John Hetszel and Marilyn Lacrosse also asked for firings, pension reviews, and better reporting to law enforcement and DCFS.

Board members did not take new public action during the comment period. President Jim Batson acknowledged the speakers and then proceeded with the meeting agenda. Administration officials present included Superintendent Mark Schaefer; at several points Schaefer and other administrators were asked to clarify next steps, but the transcript records no formal board motion or vote tied to the allegations during the public portion of the meeting.

What happens next: speakers said ISBE already has an open investigation; several asked the board to commission independent reviews and to provide specific transparency on personnel actions and any settlements. The board moved later in the agenda to routine approvals and then into closed session for personnel matters. The transcript does not record a public vote or specific board directive on the allegations during the open meeting portion.