Freeburg school superintendent accused of ‘grooming’ students. Police call it ‘unfounded’
Freeburg police conducted a four-month investigation into a school superintendent last winter after a parent accused her of “grooming” students for sexual purposes by giving them candy and baked goods and allowing them to sit in her office and talk during recess.
The St. Clair County state’s attorney’s office determined that Melanie Brink, superintendent of Freeburg Community Consolidated School District 70, didn’t break any laws.
The BND recently filed a Freedom of Information Act request and obtained investigation-related police reports, which had been redacted to remove names of students and parents who were interviewed.
One report quoted a letter that Assistant State’s Attorney Bernadette Schrempp sent to the lead police investigator, Sgt. Stan Ruhmann, in April, explaining why her office wasn’t charging Brink with a crime.
“Brink basically had an open-door policy with students,” Schrempp wrote. “All students who spoke with police stated that Brink never said or did anything to make them feel uncomfortable.
“On the contrary, students report that Brink was approachable, kind, and supportive of students. No individuals who have first-hand knowledge of staff-student interaction indicate any criminal activity, let alone a sexual offense.”
Brink is serving her fourth year as superintendent of the district, which includes Freeburg Elementary School and Freeburg Primary Center. She didn’t respond to a request for comment.
School Board President Michelle Foppe declined comment on the investigation, citing personnel privacy laws.
Principal decried ‘attacks’
The investigation into Brink is just one chapter in a two-year period of upheaval in the district, including the spring 2023 resignation of Principal Ryan Wittenauer, who described a “toxic environment” created by “unfounded attacks, bullying, and professional accusations” against school administrators.
One school board member, Jayson Baker, obtained a stalking no contact order against another member, David Stein. Six members have asked the county’s regional superintendent to remove Baker from office.
Brink tried to resign in August 2023 to pursue a “wonderful opportunity,” but school board members persuaded her to stay and fulfill her contract after local residents praised her at a board meeting.
Last month, Freeburg Police Chief Mike Schutzenhofer verified to the BND that his department had conducted an investigation into Brink, with help from Illinois State Police.
“(The grooming allegation) was unfounded,” he said.
Arguments on social media and at public meetings have shown sharp divisions between supporters and critics of Brink, other administrators and the school board over policies, practices and personalities.
Some commenters have complained about alleged lack of transparency going back decades.
Freeburg District 70 has faced at least nine civil lawsuits related to alleged grooming and sexual abuse of former students by the late Robin Hawkins, a teacher, coach and administrator for 32 years who committed suicide in 2009 while being investigated by Illinois State Police.
Seven of the lawsuits, whose plaintiffs filed under fictitious names such as John Doe, were settled out of court. Two are still open in St. Clair County Circuit Court, including one filed Sept. 26 and another one in which an insurance company is arguing that it’s not liable for settlement costs.
Foppe and Financial Officer Mark Jannsen declined to comment Tuesday on pending litigation. Jannsen expressed regret that officials haven’t been able to speak publicly about this and other issues in recent months.
“We’ve got nothing to hide,” he said. “But we’ve also got to abide by the laws that are in place.”
Father complained last fall
Grooming is a Class 4 felony in Illinois, punishable by one to three years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine. The law describes it, in part, as an effort to “seduce, solicit, lure, or entice (a child) to commit any sex offense.”
The grooming allegation against Brink dates back to fall 2023, when a student’s father complained in an email to the school board, according to a Freeburg police report that summarizes interviews with the man, his wife and their daughter later in the year.
They reportedly told Ruhmann that:
- The previous school year, Brink had been stopping by cafeteria tables, including the one where the daughter ate lunch with her sixth-grade friends, to check on students.
- Sometimes the girls would ask if Brink was available to talk and then go to her office instead of outside for recess.
- Brink and the girls joked about boys and discussed “random things,” such as basketball games, playground monitors and bullying.
- Brink never did anything “physically inappropriate” or said anything to make the girls feel uncomfortable.
- Brink would give the girls candy and mini-cupcakes and suggested a “baking day” with her.
A younger student told the mother that if she behaved for a day, she would get to wear Brink’s shoes.
- The parents read in a Facebook post that Brink had been accused of grooming children at another school.
- The parents Googled “grooming” and read about “isolation, targeting and trust” and thought Brink was trying to make the girls feel “special.”
- The father sent several emails to the school board, starting on Sept. 22, 2023. He eventually was told that the girls were going to Brink’s office due to “bullying.”
- The father wondered why he wasn’t notified if his daughter was being bullied.
The parents filed a report with Freeburg police on Dec. 9, 2023, voicing dissatisfaction with the way the school board had handled the complaint about Brink. That launched the police investigation.
Police interviewed girls
Ruhmann interviewed several other girls and their parents, who told similar stories about Brink interacting with students in the cafeteria, sharing treats, particularly on birthdays, and making herself available to talk in the office, according to Freeburg police reports.
One described Brink as “like a mom.” None of the girls reported feeling uncomfortable around her.
Some parents declined to speak with police or allow their daughters to participate in the investigation. One said she was “100% confident” that nothing inappropriate was going on at the school.
Ruhmann also interviewed Foppe, the school board president, on Jan. 31. She reportedly told him:
- The concerned father first emailed her on Sept. 22, 2023, asking about school testing and student “lunch dates” with Brink.
- Foppe contacted the district’s attorney and questioned Brink, who told her that the girls had come to her office to talk about problems with boys at school.
- Foppe said the father sent another email in October that included the term “grooming,” prompting her to contact Schutzenhofer, the police chief.
- Foppe also called the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) on Oct. 23, 2023. She didn’t know what the agency had done because she “never heard anything back from them.”
- Foppe told Brink she could no longer have girls in her office due to the accusation.
- Foppe had received no other complaints about Brink.
DCFS spokeswoman Heather Tarczan said agency records show that Foppe called its hotline on Oct. 23, 2023, and reported a grooming complaint involving a “lunch activity” with Brink and a group of girls, but she had no details on what had allegedly occurred.
A DCFS employee told Foppe that the agency needed more information to proceed with a report and investigation and asked her to call back with details, but she never did, according to the records.
“Only DCFS can make the finding of unfounded (on sexual-abuse claims),” Tarczan said. “An attorney cannot do that, nor can the school board, nor can the police. We are the only ones that can make that finding.”
Freeburg police reports show that an Illinois State Police special agent questioned Brink on Feb. 23 as part of the investigation. The superintendent appeared with her attorney, Chuck Kelly, at Troop 8 headquarters in Collinsville. Ruhmann sat in on the interview.
This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
