Community, school rally in hard times
Antioch School District 34 has recently experienced a very troubling event: One of our teachers was arrested after confessing to possessing child pornography. I would like respond to the event as well as the community's response.
"What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches." Karl Menninger got it right in this famous quote.
The vast majority of our teachers influence children in a positive way that empowers them for the future. When a teacher confesses to participating in a heinous industry that victimizes children, the good reputation of all teachers is marred and the trust children have rightfully placed in them is damaged. Emotions were running strong in staff members, children and parents in the wake the arrest. Parents and other adults were forced to deal with children's questions and concerns at an age many felt far too young. In the face of these serious issues, the community rallied to work to recoup the positive atmosphere of the district's schools and return to the business of educating kids and making a difference in their futures. The professional staff in the district carried out a series of supportive and restorative steps that have moved the school and district back toward normalcy. A crisis team was at the school as soon as the news broke, offering children, staff members and parents the resources to begin to deal with the trauma. The district hosted a parent information night with Antioch Police Chief Jim Foerster, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran, detectives from the case and representatives from the crisis team. The district is also looking at future steps that will work toward preventing this kind of event from occurring in the future. A parent training session on preventing the victimization of children will be held at Antioch Upper Grade School on Feb. 24 at 6:30 in the school's library.) The training will include "7 Steps to Protecting Our Children" presented by Tom Schreiner of Community Youth Network. Training for staff on how to recognize signs and be protective of children will be made by Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton and Taylor law firm. And Principal Jim Kallieris is working on bringing in members of the Zacharias Abuse Center in Gurnee to provide training for students. And finally, the caring professionals at Antioch Upper Grade School have done a tremendous job caring for their students immediately after the bad news hit and, in the two weeks since, getting back to the regular American experience of schooling. The community really did admirably absorbing the blow of the terrible news, remaining positive and working together in the best interest of its children. Though no one gets over something of this magnitude quickly, I am grateful for members of District 34 that are working to restore a well deserved community pride in our school system. And I am proud to be a part of an organization that lives out its motto (in good times and bad): Every child, every school, every day!
Scott B. Thompson
Superintendent of Schools Antioch School District 34