Six juveniles charged in Maine West soccer hazing
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Six juveniles have been petitioned to juvenile court for various offenses related to an alleged hazing in September involving the Maine West High School boys soccer team, a Des Plaines police official said Thursday.
With the police investigation concluded, no further information will be released because the hazing involved minors, Deputy Police Chief Nick Treantafeles said.
Maine Township High School District 207 barred several Maine West boys soccer players from playing as a result of the incident. The students also could face school disciplinary action, while five coaches have been temporarily reassigned after allegations of misconduct.
District 207 spokesman David Beery said Thursday the district's internal investigation continues.
"They (the coaches) remain reassigned with pay," Beery said. "It's a multiagency investigation. There won't be any action until the investigation is concluded."
District 207 has not given any details about the nature of the inappropriate conduct due to student and personnel confidentiality policies, but said a parent reported it to school officials on Sept. 28. District officials immediately launched an investigation and notified Des Plaines Police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The status of the DCFS investigation is unclear.
Among the coaches reassigned with pay are Mike Divincenzo, varsity head coach for boys and girls soccer, and Emilio Rodriguez, freshman boys and girls soccer coach, who have been removed from classroom teaching also pending the outcome of the investigations.
According to the Maine West website, Divincenzo has been teaching at the school for more than 10 years. He is a 1994 graduate of Maine West High School where he played soccer and baseball. He teaches physical education classes at the school.
The three other coaches who have been temporarily reassigned are not classroom teachers, officials have said.
The Maine West Warriors boys soccer team won the conference in 2011. The varsity boys soccer program was allowed to continue its regular season unimpeded by the students' suspension and finished the season with 17 wins, two losses and three ties. The team won its first regional tournament game and then lost in the regional finals to Evanston.
