August 20, 2024

To Our District 67 and District 115 Parent and Guardian Community:

Yesterday, we held our annual District 67 Staff Institute Day. The spirit in the air was celebratory and full of anticipation. At the end of the day, a District 67 staff member came forward with a disturbing report about one of our newly-hired teaching assistants. I want to share a real-time update:

This individual, who has had no interaction with students in our district and was still pending board approval, was invited to participate in on-boarding with the District 67 staff yesterday.
The staff report prompted an urgent 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, and due to official charges not being filed with the authorities, the allegation did not appear on his background check or in his professional references.
District 67 rescinded the offer of employment without hesitation. We are deeply grateful to the staff member who reported this finding immediately upon learning concerning information.

While we continue our ongoing practices of reference, sex offender registry, and violent offender registry checks, and have added social media reviews in the last year, I am still not satisfied.
Despite strengthening our processes, I am deeply concerned about the number of times this issue has surfaced in our districts. 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. This audit will guide 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. You deserve, and we will provide, updates on this process.

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. We ask parents, guardians, and all members of the Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood communities to remain vigilant. When you see something, say something.

I acknowledge this is not news you want to hear on the eve of the first day of school, but I feel it is important to remind you of our commitment to safety and security, and to communicate with you in a timely fashion.

As a district parent and administrator, I am confident that tomorrow will be a joyful day when students will reunite with their friends, see their teachers, and forge new beginnings. We look forward to welcoming our students back to our buildings for the 2024-2025 school year.

Sincerely,

Matthew L. Montgomery, Ph.D.