Island Lake preschool to close next week during director’s criminal trial

Island Lake’s Creative Playtime Preschool will be closed Tuesday through Friday because teachers may be called to testify during their boss’ criminal trial, village officials confirmed Wednesday.

Parents of students at the preschool, which is run by the village and housed at village hall, recently received a short form letter notifying them of the upcoming closure.

The letter, unsigned but from the Creative Playtime staff, blamed the situation on “an unfortunate circumstance” and “staffing difficulties,” and it apologized for the inconvenience.

Village Trustee Donna O’Malley confirmed the school was closing for most of the week because of Director Sharon Hyde’s trial in Lake County court, which is scheduled to begin Monday.

Hyde, the wife of former Island Lake Mayor Thomas Hyde, is charged with collecting more than $100,000 in pay for hours she did not work between 1999 and 2009.

Hyde is charged with theft of government property and official misconduct and faces a mandatory prison sentence of six to 30 years.

She has remained with the school despite the charges.

After the charges were filed, the village board adopted a resolution declaring Hyde was a salaried employee not subject to accounting for the hours she worked. Hyde’s attorneys have insisted that resolution absolves her of any criminal activity.

The state’s attorney’s office notified village officials that teachers could be called to testify next week and recommended classes be canceled, O’Malley said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Christen Bishop, the lead prosecutor on the case, denied her office made any such recommendation.

“We told them we would try to stagger (their testimony),” Bishop said. “We don’t expect people to be sitting here all week,” she said.

O’Malley leads the village’s recreation department committee. Creative Playtime is part of that department.

The lost days will be added to the end of the school calendar, the letter to parents states.

Parents who have questions about classes being canceled should call Hyde at Creative Playtime, O’Malley said. O’Malley also offered to take calls on the matter and said Mayor Debbie Herrmann would talk to parents too.