Mundelein woman accused of sexually abusing student
A Mundelein woman who works as a public school music teacher is accused of sexually abusing a student, according to Lake County authorities.
Briana Travis, 33, of the 100 block of Walnut Court, has been charged with three counts of criminal sexual assault. She was held on a $1 million bail in the Lake County jail Friday.
In a joint announcement Friday, Waukegan police and the Lake County state's attorney's office said Travis works as a music instructor at Webster Middle School in Waukegan. Webster is part of Waukegan Unit District 60.
Police and prosecutors said they launched a joint investigation Thursday. The probe started when a concerned parent contacted police about inappropriate texting between a student and Travis.
Authorities said they learned Travis was involved in an inappropriate sexual relationship with the minor student. Officials said Travis is accused of starting the inappropriate relationship with the juvenile at the end of the 2014-15 academic year, and continuing it during the summer and until her arrest Thursday.
Waukegan detectives interviewed the music teacher and she began to reveal details about a separate inappropriate relationship with a different minor, according to authorities. The original inappropriate texting is still under investigation, officials said.
District 60 released a statement Friday, saying Travis will be on administrative leave while the accusations are further investigated. District 60 learned of the accusations against the music instructor Thursday and cooperated with the police investigation, according to the statement.
"The details of these allegations are abhorrent. Any behaviors that compromise the safety and well-being of our students, and/or the trust of our community, will not and cannot be tolerated," Superintendent Donaldo Batiste said in the statement.
A district spokesman said he could not comment further on the case.
Waukegan police Cmdr. Joe Florip declined to say where the purported abuse occurred or reveal the victim's gender.
Travis' next Lake County circuit court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 3.