Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

State probes Granite City teacher's departure after alleged relationship with student

GRANITE CITY -- The Illinois State Board of Education is now looking into circumstances surrounding the resignation last month of a Granite City teacher whose alleged relationship with an 18-year-old student and report of a stolen district credit card sparked an investigation.

Granite City police concluded an investigation about 10 days ago without finding any criminal wrongdoing, Police Chief Rich Miller has said.

State Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover said the state board now is investigating.

"We have opened an investigation and will be requesting some information from the district," Vanover said.

The 37-year-old special education teacher, who resigned citing personal reasons from Granite City High School, denied wrongdoing regarding any student during an interview two weeks ago with News-Democrat reporters. The 18-year-old male student linked to the investigation has declined to comment.

The investigation also involved a 26-year-old teacher's aide in the Granite City School District who is still working for the district.

About a week before her resignation, the teacher reported the theft of a Granite City School District credit card.

She told police that during a gathering Oct. 3 of several people around the kitchen table of her Granite City home, individuals she described as "friends of a friend," stole items from her residence, including the credit card. She did not name the people.

According to a copy of a Granite City Police Department field report, the teacher, whose name was blacked out on the copy, also said two commercial credit cards and about $120 in cash from a purse and wallet left on the table were taken. The report stated that the individuals left her house about 12:10 a.m.

On Oct. 7, according to another police report, the teacher called the department and an officer was sent to take another account. In this report, the teacher said she discovered more items missing, including a Playstation video game system, valued at $300, a bottle of prescription medicine, and "several miscellaneous makeup items."

Despite her earlier statement that the individuals had left just after midnight, the teacher said she had talked to one of them and learned that they hadn't left until 3 a.m. She said she had been sleeping during this time.

The report concluded that the teacher, "had not obtained the identity of the individuals at her residence and stated she did not wish to disclose further information ... (and) did not wish to pursue charges."

Several calls to Granite City School Superintendent Harry Briggs were not returned Tuesday. He said earlier this month that as soon as the district learned of the matter, it conducted an investigation "that got her out of the educational setting."

He said at the time: "All of this is unfolding as we speak. We are still involved in an investigation. There are a number of issues."

District 9 school board Treasurer Jerry McKechan said Tuesday, "That's a personnel matter. I can't comment."

School Board member Beverly Scroggins said the board has been handling the situation according to the law and district guidelines but that she couldn't discuss it because it is a personnel issue.