Anti-hazing proposal passes House, goes to Gov. Quinn
SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Marty Moylan's anti-hazing proposal that grew out of suburban scandals was sent to Gov. Pat Quinn Friday after the Illinois House approved.
The plan would create a new crime called “failure to report hazing,” which is intended to protect children such as the ones who were harmed at Maine West and Hoffman Estates high schools.
“We feel the children should be protected,” Moylan, a Des Plaines Democrat, said. “If a teacher or somebody else knows about an incident, they have to report it or they will be held just as responsible. We felt there was a lapse in the law.”
The crime would apply only to school officials, which would include school district employees such as teachers and coaches, as well as others who work in the classroom such as social workers or teacher's assistants.
The punishment for committing the crime would be as high as a $5,000 fine and a year in prison. Should a hazing victim be killed or suffer serious bodily harm and a school official not report it, the punishment could increase to a $25,000 fine and three years in prison.
At Maine West, two 14-year-old soccer players say they were sexually assaulted last year as part of a hazing ritual. Maine Township High School District 207 fired two Maine West soccer coaches and one faces charges. In Hoffman Estates, members of the boys' varsity basketball team were accused of hazing fellow students off campus in late November.