Naperville dad takes student safety case to Capitol
SPRINGFIELD - The father of a Naperville middle school student allegedly sexually assaulted by classmates will testify Wednesday at the Capitol in support of a proposed law intended to clarify when students can be removed from schools.
The legislation proposed by state Rep. Darlene Senger, a Naperville Republican, would allow schools to immediately transfer students to alternative programs if juvenile or criminal proceedings alleging the commission of a felony are pending.
The proposal is in response to a Naperville case in which police say an attack involving Gregory Middle School students occurred Nov. 11 in a home on Naperville's south side. Parents of the victim wanted the alleged assailants removed from the school. A12-year-old and 11-year-old face felony charges of criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault. The 11-year-old also faces a misdemeanor count of battery for a separate incident involving the same alleged victim, this time in the halls of Gregory.
DuPage County Regional Superintendent Dr. Darlene Ruscitti is also scheduled to testify.
The central issue is what school officials can do with students alleged to have committed crimes off school grounds.
The school district's attorney, Jack Canna, has warned board members they have little, if any, authority to discipline students for off-campus actions. School board member Curt Bradshaw will also testify before the committee. He's previously said if it were his decision alone, the accused students would be moved for the sake of the classmate.
Recently, the alleged 12-year-old assailant transferred out of District 204 to Lincoln Junior High School in neighboring Naperville Unit District 203. A court order is keeping the other student at Gregory Middle School but 100 feet away from that classmate.
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