Superintendent addresses lawsuit and allegations

School District 166 has been in the news in recent days, as a civil lawsuit was filed against the district by a student alleging that he was unfairly suspended after being accused of sexual misconduct by several female students.

According to WDIO-TV, which obtained several letters included in the court documents, the school district began its investigation in mid-October 2018 and ultimately concluded that the student allegedly forced a female student to have sex with him. There are also allegations from more than one other female student of other unwelcome acts. All of the allegations are from incidents that took place off of the school grounds.

The documents obtained by WDIO-TV show that the student declined the opportunity to respond to those allegations in an interview with an independent investigator working with the school district. However, in a written statement, the student said, in part, “I maintain that I have not engaged in any sexual misconduct and have not violated school policy.”

The student was suspended for 10 days with the school district stating that he had violated the district’s harassment and violence policy. He was also suspended from participating in football for the remainder of the season.

According to WDIO-TV, the lawsuit alleges negligence on the school’s part and that the suspension process was unfair. It also alleges that the student was suspended in part because the district was under pressure of losing federal funds under Title 9.
The lawsuit asked for a minimum of $75,000 and a jury trial.

On November 12, WDIO reported that the lawsuit against the school district had been dismissed. A court document filed November 9 says all of the student’s claims “have been fully compromised and settled.”

Details of the settlement are not disclosed in the court filing.

WTIP contacted Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen to ask if any criminal charges had been filed. Sheriff Eliasen said he could not discuss the matter, but said, “There is an open investigation involving criminal sexual conduct involving a juvenile.”

WTIP's Rhonda Silence reached out to School District 166 Superintendent Dr. Bill Crandall to learn more. Here's that conversation: