District 204 president apologizes for vulgar e-mail

Indian Prairie school board President Mark Metzger says he regrets the vulgar language he used in an e-mail he inadvertently forwarded Friday to district officials and the father of a boy who authorities say was sexually assaulted by two classmates.

Metzger said he was responding to the latest accusations made by the father of an 11-year-old Gregory Middle School student who has strongly criticized the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 administration and school board for its handling of the allegations involving his son.

"I think it's about time for me to issue a response and blow up the lies this (expletive) continues to tell," Metzger wrote in his one-line e-mail.

Metzger said he intended the e-mail to go only to board members.

The e-mail came after a highly volatile week in which board members came under fire from residents who blasted them for failing to take the necessary steps to remove the two students who have been charged from the Naperville school and in which the father of the alleged victim issued a strongly worded denunciation of the district.

It also came the day after Superintendent Stephen Daeschner took responsibility for any mistakes the district may have made, telling the Daily Herald: "So go ahead and lay it all in my lap. I'll take it."

District officials have expressed increasing frustration with the legal restrictions that they say prevent them from fully explaining the steps they have and have not been able to take since learning of the incident, which authorities say took place in the home of one of the students.

Metzger said he erred in sending the hastily composed e-mail.

"This morning, while trying to fit in a few minutes to address matters evolving from last evening, I responded too quickly to an e-mail message without paying attention to the persons to whom it was addressed," Metzger said Friday. "My reply was indelicate and displayed too much of the frustration I feel with the board's inability to fully and truthfully explain the facts of this terrible situation. I apologize for the language I selected."

Two boys - a 12-year-old and an 11-year-old, both from Naperville - have been charged with felony counts of criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault against another boy stemming from a November incident at a home on the city's south side. The 11-year-old also faces a misdemeanor count of battery in a separate incident involving the same alleged victim - this time in the halls of Gregory.

The 12-year-old transferred out of District 204 this week to Lincoln Junior High School in neighboring Naperville Unit District 203.

According to Will County civil court records, the two boys are accused of tying up their 11-year-old classmate and sexually assaulting him in the unsupervised home of the accused 12-year-old student.

The father of the alleged victim and some other district parents have criticized the district for not removing the two other boys from Gregory. But district leaders say their options are limited because the incident took place off school grounds.

Some of Metzger's fellow board members said they fear his Friday e-mail may exacerbate the anger in some corners of the district that includes portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.

"This is very upsetting. I don't condone this at all," said Chris Vickers, the only board member not copied on the e-mail. "Mark's response is unprofessional and inappropriate, so he'll have to answer for himself on this one."

Board member Cathy Piehl said Metzger's words "speak to the frustration level of all of us."

"Mark Metzger is an incredibly talented man with a wealth of knowledge and a heart that is absolutely in this for the kids," she said. "But sometimes he speaks off the cuff and these things happen."

Board member Alka Tyle called Metzger's language in the e-mail "so out of the ordinary" from how he usually addresses board members.

"For him to use that language, I think, really speaks to the emotionally charged atmosphere surrounding us these days," she said.

The alleged victim's father did not return calls or e-mail Friday but Metzger said he called the father to apologize.

"He told me he appreciated me calling and that we would put the issue behind us and move forward," Metzger said.