RMHS teacher resigns after spraying student with Lysol
A Rolling Meadows High School teacher who resigned eight days after spraying a student in the face with Lysol will not face criminal charges, authorities said Monday.
Rolling Meadows police said they declined to bring charges against the teacher, whose resignation formally was accepted Thursday, at the request of the student's father, who did not want to sign a complaint against her.
The Daily Herald is not naming the 47-year-old math and science instructor because she has not been charged. She did not returned several calls seeking comment.
Northwest Suburban High School District 214 officials declined to discuss specifics of the event or the teacher's resignation.
“The safety of our students is our number one priority,” said district spokeswoman Venetia Miles. “Any inappropriate conduct by a staff member is considered a personnel matter. It can't be discussed due to confidentiality laws.”
Police began investigating after an emergency call placed from the school at
1:36 p.m. Nov. 30 indicated a 15-year-old male student suffered an eye injury upon being sprayed in the face with a chemical. The student was transported by ambulance to Northwest Community Hospital, but is not expected to have any permanent eye damage.
According to police reports obtained through a Freedom of Information request, the student said “the teacher told all students to put their safety goggles on, and was walking around the room with a spray bottle telling students if they didn't have their safety glasses on, she would spray them.”
The report indicates the teen told police the teacher first sprayed another student who did not have his goggles on, but he turned away and was sprayed on the back of the head.
The boy said he was adjusting his safety goggles when he was sprayed, according to the police report. The student told police that the teacher had never done anything like this before, but admitted to a prior confrontation in which he “did get mad and screamed” at her.
After the Nov. 30 confrontation, the teacher was sent home for the day, pending an investigation by the school.
Police interviewed several students in the class who gave similar accounts. Some told police the teacher stated several times that if students didn't have their goggles on, she would spray them.
The teacher did not speak with police.
The boy's father, reports state, said from the beginning that he did not want to sue anyone or have anyone arrested, but wanted an apology for his son.
Art Senteno, the school's dean of students, told police that when he spoke with the teacher about what happened, she said “I probably shouldn't have done that.”
Police met Dec. 2 with Principal Eileen Hart, Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Randy Hawley and a representative from the teacher's union. According to reports, the teacher indicated to Hawley that “she had some level of premeditation” about possibly spraying Lysol at students because she read the warning label on the can and knew the substance could be washed out with water if it got in someone's eyes.
“When asked about (the teacher's) reaction to the situation, Ms. Hart advised that (the teacher) showed little emotion, which surprised both Ms. Hart and Mr. Hawley, given the severity of the matter,” the report states.
The teacher submitted a two-sentence letter of resignation Monday, Dec. 5, stating “Please accept my letter of resignation effective Thursday, Dec. 8. Thank you for the opportunity to work for Township High School District 214.” The school board accepted the resignation Thursday.
According to district documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request, some parents emailed officials asking about what had happened in the classroom and why they had not been told of the situation.
A letter to parents sent Friday from Hart said, “I want to reassure you that we have secured an experienced substitute teacher that will finish the semester with us,” but does not explain why the teacher resigned.