Board fires Fenton High School staff member accused of inappropriate conduct

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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Suburban school staffer fired amid inappropriate conduct accusations
A Fenton High School staff member accused of inappropriate conduct has been fired, but the Bensenville, Illinois community wants more action taken.

BENSENVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- Any room left in the crowded meeting on Monday night was eventually filled with anger and disappointment from students, parents and faculty as a staff member at Fenton High School in Bensenville is under investigation and accused of inappropriate conduct.

"We are very disappointed with our Fenton administration and their handling of the matter at hand for more than 10 years. How could this inappropriate behavior and contact with students be allowed to continue for so many years?" said Fenton High School parent Julia Styrczula.

Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta is a senior at Fenton High School.

"Reading the incident report was very emotional for me, because I recognized his actions towards me and the way that he acted towards the other girls," she said.

Jeers came from the crowd as school board members went into a closed-door discussion before returning minutes later, voting unanimously to fire the staffer who, for weeks, has been on paid administrative leave.

"The ongoing police investigation of alleged misconduct by a Fenton staff member has caused significant pain," said Fenton Community High School District 100 Board member Cary Lewis.

But the board's move was still not enough to calm the crowd as they are now calling for more action, including asking for the school district's superintendent to step down.

"We just want justice to be served, really. We need to clean house, and we need to get the trust back," said Fenton High School parent Gina S.

None of the school board members would comment to ABC7 after the vote. A police investigation into the now-former staffer remains active. As of now, no charges have been filed.