March 1, 2024
March 1, 2024
Our District 67 and District 115 Parents, Guardians, Faculty, and Staff:
I am in touch for two reasons today.
First, I am writing with information about the dismissal of a temporary LFHS food service worker who was contracted through an employment agency. We have received questions from the community on this and, following an internal investigation, can now share further details with you.
On February 21, administrators at LFHS received a report that a temporary worker had passed a note with a phone number on it to a student. Once we received the report, the administrators confirmed the accusation by reviewing security footage, immediately removed the employee from the food service setting, and launched a full investigation. Within an hour, the food service employee was removed from LFHS property. A complaint regarding the employee's misconduct was filed with the employment agency. Administrators also contacted DCFS to file a formal complaint and have worked diligently with both the student and parents throughout the incident and the investigation.
We are working with the employment agency to ensure the expectations of staff conduct and student interactions are reviewed at regular intervals following initial orientation to ensure ongoing compliance with our standards. Any incident, such as what was reported, will not be tolerated.
We are proud that our students understood appropriate boundaries and were comfortable coming forward to share the information about the interaction with the temporary employee with a trusted adult. As a reminder, our Confidential Reporting Tool is always available for students and community members to report concerns to LFHS administration. Remember, if you see something, say something.
Second, in the spirit of ongoing transparency, I am sharing a letter sent today to the opposition group, Parents Care, regarding their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other requests for information. These requests have become so voluminous and increasingly hostile, including unfounded accusations, that we feel we must establish boundaries for responding to such requests.
All my best,
Matthew L. Montgomery, Ph.D.
Lake Forest School Districts 67 and 115
300 S. Waukegan Rd.
Lake Forest, IL 60045
O: 847-604-7420