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Naperville North counselor charged with sex abuse

A Naperville North High School counselor and assistant girls golf and softball coach has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse and is expected to surrender to authorities Wednesday morning.

John Carbonaro, 33, of Warrenville, was charged Tuesday afternoon with having a relationship with a 16-year-old female student between May 1, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2010, DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin said.

Berlin declined to discuss details of the case until Carbonaro is in custody, but said the ongoing investigation has not led authorities to believe the abuse took place at the school.

District officials said they were first made aware of the allegations against Carbonaro on Thursday evening.

“A concerned parent contacted Naperville North High School Principal Kevin Pobst to share information about a rumored inappropriate relationship between Mr. Carbonaro and a student,” Naperville Unit District 203 spokeswoman Susan Rice said. “The principal immediately contacted district administration and reached out to the parents of the student named in the rumor. The district notified the proper legal authorities who began conducting a full investigation.”

Carbonaro was hired as a full-time employee in 2006, shortly after completing an internship with the district. At that time, Rice said, Carbonaro successfully passed the required background checks conducted on all District 203 employees. She said the district is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Following Thursday's revelation, Rice said Carbonaro was sent a letter advising him he was on paid administrative leave and banning him from the high school campus. A district webpage, dated Feb. 7, identified Carbonaro as married with two children and indicated he holds memberships in both the Illinois School Counseling Association and the American Counseling Association.

“We want to stress to all of our families that District 203 takes allegations of misconduct by any staff member toward any student very seriously,” Rice said. “It is important that anyone who feels the actions of a staff member have been inappropriate bring their concerns to the attention of their school principal or district administration immediately.”

The district is providing counseling support in the school for any student or staff member who may need or want to discuss this issue. Parents were notified of the situation Tuesday afternoon via the district electronic communications system.

Ÿ Daily Herald Staff Writer Josh Stockinger contributed to this report.