Counselor suspended over pro-union text during Geneva teachers' strike
The Geneva High School guidance counselor who sent a text urging students and parents to sign a pro-union petition during the teachers' strike in December has been suspended.
The school board voted Monday to suspend M. Brian Vaughan without pay and to issue a letter of reprimand.
Vaughan has worked for the district for three years.
The district uses the Remind app to advise students and parents about school-related matters, such as tests. Vaughn used it Dec. 8 to send the message about the petition.
School officials were alerted to it and notified parents that afternoon. The spokesman for the Geneva Education Association issued an apology that day, saying the message was sent "in error" and was a "mistake."
Guidance counselors are covered in the teachers contract.
The district's spokesman declined to say when Vaughan's suspension started, or how long it will last. The board did not include those details in its motion to suspend Vaughan.
According to Vaughan's Web page on the Geneva High School website, he has a bachelor's degree in secondary education and physical education, and a master's degree in school counseling. He previously worked as a counselor at Joliet Catholic Academy.