District 25 fires nurse under investigation for giving students wrong medication
Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 school board members have fired a school nurse under investigation for dispensing the wrong medication to students.
During a special meeting Wednesday night, the board voted 6-0 to terminate the employment of the registered nurse at Westgate Elementary School for “gross misconduct committed outside the scope of her employment, multiple unauthorized violations of District 25 policy and procedures, and willful insubordination,” according to the board resolution.
The firing comes a little more than two weeks after the nurse was placed on administrative leave, when district officials say they were made aware of concerns about her.
Arlington Heights police confirm they have been conducting an investigation on the potential misuse of prescription medication that was intended for Westgate students. No criminal charges have been announced.
School board President Greg Scapillato called the nurse’s actions a “breach of trust,” and “distressing and concerning.”
“The board and administration care deeply about the safety and well-being of our students, families and staff in our community,” said Scapillato, reading from a prepared statement at the meeting. “The action we took at today’s meeting is not something we take lightly.”
Scapillato echoed comments of Superintendent Lori Bein, in her initial April 23 letter to Westgate families, that the district is working with the Cook County Department of Public Health and Illinois State Board of Education to review and enhance policies involving oversight of student medication.
Gina DeBoni, an attorney representing families of children who may have been given the wrong medication, said the firing was “far overdue,” but an “incomplete response.” DeBoni called for other administrators to be placed on leave, saying she’s uncovered evidence in her civil investigation that district officials received reports of missing medication as early as 2022.
“One official stated that concerns had been documented in the past regarding the administration of medication as well as missing medication, and the official apologized that they were sorry to have broken the trust the parents have given to care for their children,” DeBoni, of the Chicago law firm Romanucci & Blandin, said in a prepared statement given during the board meeting.
The nurse had been employed at Westgate for five years, a school district spokesman confirmed.
Through their attorneys, one family previously said their child has suffered health problems after blood tests showed signs of excessive aspirin intake and fentanyl.
Autumn Jenks, one of three parents to speak at the meeting, said Westgate families have endured “insurmountable pain and fear” over the last two weeks.
“What should have been a safe space for our children has turned into a building draped in trauma and fear for our children, families and all others within the Westgate community,” Jenks told school board members. “The ripple effect of this trauma will reverberate for years for our children and our families.”
Jenks also called for an independent investigation and for those at Westgate in leadership roles to be placed on leave.
“This isn’t just the deliberate decisions of a rogue nurse. This is systemic recklessness and a toxic cultural issue within Westgate Elementary that starts and stops with leadership,” Jenks said.
Other parents said the district hasn’t been transparent about the matter — having only sent two mass emails to the school community — and called for a meeting at Westgate to answer their questions. About a dozen parents attended the special school board meeting at the Dunton Administration Building Wednesday night, but some said they only found out about it hours before.
Bein said the district has been engaged in “a very extensive” internal investigation and is cooperating with the police probe.
Two District 25 nurses are staffing the Westgate health office through the end of the school year, officials said.