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Letter from Maine West Parent to Principal: My Son ‘Endured a Hazing’

A parent of a Maine West High School student wrote a letter to the principal in August 2008 outlining the reasons why she wanted a transfer for her son to Maine East High School.

 
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In a letter from a parent of a Maine West High School student in 2008, a mother outlines the reasons why she was requesting a transfer for her son to Maine East High School. In a letter to Dr. Audrey Haugan, principal at Maine West, on Aug. 5, 2008, the parent stated the following:

“Due to the lack of supervision which occurred in the locker rooms on the Maine West property my son endured a hazing by the freshman baseball A team. The incidents that occurred but are not limited to are physical aggression, a sexual assault, humiliation, verbal abuse, and ongoing emotional distress. These occurred at the hands of a core group of young men on the team.”

Antonio Romanucci, an attorney representing four families from the Des Plaines high school, including this parent, in a bullying and hazing civil lawsuit against Maine Township High School District 207 administrators, faculty, coaches and staff, displayed an enlarged copy of the letter from the parent to Haugan, with some parts blacked-out, at a press conference at his Chicago office on Nov. 28.

In D-207’s statement regarding the 2008 incident released on Monday, officials stated when the parent contacted them on Nov. 16, that was the first they had heard of it, and they then notified the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Romanucci said transferring a student was a district issue.

“If he was given a transfer, the school district is now telling you that they didn’t know about it? Not true,” Romanucci said.

Click on the images above to read the entire letter, as presented at Romanucci & Blandin law firm on Nov. 28.

Related: Maine Township High School District 207’s official statement released on Nov. 28.

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Related Topics: District 207, Maine West, Maine West High School, city of des plaines, des plaines, des plaines illinois, high school district 207, maine township high school district 207, maine west des plaines, and maine west soccer
Tell us what you think. Tell us in the comments.

George K.

3:22 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012

After reading a few ignorant comments on this board ridiculing the mother for hiding her identity and making fun of her kid being teased on the bus, I was driving home listening to WGN radio. They dedicated an hour or more on this issue. Not only were they appalled at this, they stated that there should be criminal charges brought against any teacher, coach, principal and District supervisor who knew about this. They brought up this letter. The attorney was looking for it since the district tried to bury it. The WGN personalities were saying that if this letter is found and states that the student needed to be transferred because of ANY sexual assault that CRIMINAL charges should be filed against anyone in authority that did nothing about it. I am so disgusted of OUR Representatives that we put on boards that then HIRE principals and district superintendents THEN FAIL to take responsibility for putting their heads in the sand when this stuff comes up. I will personally take up the cause to make sure every person who is suppose to PROTECT our children that let this go years ago is criminally charged. IF NOT, then I would like a clarification to know why. EVEN the police had a responsibility to protect our children, when they were told of other kids being sexually assaulted and did not investigate further because the parents of those kids that were assaulted did not want to go public. WHAT A FAILURE of these so called leaders on all fronts. Enough is Enough! COWARDS!

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