Urbana district sues Normal district over abusive teacher

BLOOMINGTON -- The Urbana School District has filed a lawsuit against Unit 5 School District in Normal over the case of former teacher and convicted sex offender Jon White, saying Unit 5 officials deliberately misled Urbana officials about White's behavior when he changed districts.

In the civil action asking at least $1 million in damages, Urbana officials accuse Unit 5 of failing to investigate parental complaints of White's inappropriate behavior toward female students and falsifying his tenure in Unit 5.

Unit 5 Superintendent Gary Niehaus deferred comment to The (Bloomington) Pantagraph until district lawyers could review the lawsuit.

White is currently serving 60 years for sexually abusing eight students at Urbana's Thomas Paine Elementary School and two at Colene Hoose Elementary School in Normal.