School Town of Munster administrators said they will meet with parents next week with the results of an investigation into an Elliott Elementary Special Education teacher who parents and staff have accused of abuse.
One special education teacher resigned and at least three instructional assistants were fired over the complaints, the most recent of which were logged with the administration March 12, according to documents the Post-Tribune obtained.
While he couldn’t speak directly to the exact accusations during Monday night’s School Board of Trustees meeting, Superintendent Bret Haller said that the district is “committed to making the changes necessary.”
“I will say that (Assistant Superintendent Colleen Bergren) and (Director of Elementary Education Amy Yoos) have done exactly what I asked them to do, which is dig in as deeply and thoroughly as necessary to identify any issues, and to come back to me with any findings and recommendations,” he said. “As a district, I can tell you we are committed to making the changes we need to make, no matter how small are big, and as was said, we do have an obligation to our students and parents to ensure our programs live up to the highest standards.”
In her resignation letter, the teacher, Kyleigh McCoy, said she made “multiple attempts” to address the concerns via the proper channels, only to be met with “direct retaliation, attempts to disparage my character, and unjustified scrutiny meant to damage my professional reputation.”
“I have raised concerns over students being wrongfully secluded and subjected to questionable disciplinary practices,” McCoy wrote in her letter. “Rather than engaging in necessary discussions to ensure student welfare, I have been met with resistance and further retaliation, reinforcing that the administration prioritizes silencing educators over protecting students.”
McCoy, who attended the meeting, declined further comment to the Post-Tribune.
In documents the Post-Tribune obtained, the parents allege the teacher — who the Post-Tribune isn’t identifying because they haven’t been charged with a crime, though they have been put on paid administrative leave — has been disrespectful to the students and takes away items the students use to self-soothe, among several accusations. In one instance, an item taken from a student kept the student from biting themself.
“[Redacted] took away items such as but not limited to: chewy, pictures, and other stemming (sic) items students use to help them work through the day,” the document said. “[Reacted] took away a chewy toy that helps the student from not biting themselves. He refused to give it back to student until they completed work for him. In some instances, he would hide it around the room.”
In another instance, the teacher allegedly “took away mini photos and placed them on the whiteboard, so the student can see them, but could not have them.”
“The student began to scream and cry,” it read. “When the student came back into my classroom she had red puffy face and was requesting photos. I was told by multiple staff members that this had been going on for quite some time.”
In a third instance, the teacher is said to have taken a student to a classroom and left without any support staff over the objection of the classroom’s teacher, the document said. The student — who’s allergic to nuts — was then taken to the lunchroom and left at a table that hadn’t been cleaned off.
“The (instructional assistant) rushed there to see [redacted] in the hallway smiling but not stating he already took the girls in the class or that the class left,” the document said. “She brought this up to [redacted], where he stated, ‘What is my motivation?’ for leaving the student unattended, which was against her IEP. He tried stating he did not know this student was not meant to be left alone, nor did he know that the para comes to my room (not their room) to get the students. When the para was walking out of his classroom, [redacted] slammed the door and went straight to the office to complain.”
The next day, another teacher went to the accused teacher’s room to “spread false statements of (what) happened,” the document said. The accused teacher then started pulling instructional assistants to ask about the incident, but the assistants were uncomfortable with their questioning and asked “if they could just do their jobs.”
Michelle Keith, a parent whose child was involved in one of the incidents, told the board that she doesn’t want to wait until May to find out what’s going to happen to the accused teacher.
“It’s important for the board to see and hear us, because you’ve lost a great teacher and five (sic) aides. My son is sitting with them instead of me tonight,” she said. “I’m his voice, so for him to be sitting with them tells me how important this is.”
Elizabeth Allen, Keith’s aunt, called the former teacher and aides their “protection.”
“When police and lawyers are involved, someone needs to be held responsible,” Allen said. “I’m here because while decisions aren’t finalized, these kids have lost a whole year due to incompetent leadership and a failure to disclose events in the classroom.”
Another mom, Paulyn David, said her daughter, who’ll be turning 9, now flinches and covers her head whenever she or anyone raises their arms toward the girl. She blames the administration from top down.
“The people under investigation shouldn’t be around our kids, but they are,” David said. “It’s been a month, and we don’t know what else to do. I want my daughter to go to school and know she’s safe.”
Alex St. Pierre, one of the fired assistants, said Elliott’s administration told her that because she didn’t want to take a position at another school and participated in unsubstantiated rumors about the situation, it appears she’s “setting the school up.”
“They’re saying these actions justify firing me when I’ve had an exemplary record for five years,” St. Pierre said. “It’s monstrous what they’re doing.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
