Grand Jury Issues Subpoenas In Maine West Hazing Case

A grand jury has issued subpoenas as part of the Cook County State's Attorney investigation of alleged hazing at Maine West High School, the Chicago Tribune reported.

School District 207 issued a statement confirming the subpoenas: "We will continue to use appropriate discretion regarding our public comments on this matter, and provide proactive communications to parents and other interested community members detailing the multiple strategies we are implementing to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future,” the newspaper reported.

Four current and former Maine West families have filed a hazing and bullying lawsuit, which names Michael Divincenzo, Emilio Rodriguez, Maine West Principal Audrey Haugan and other D-207 administrators, faculty and staff.

The original complaint according to court documents, after a freshman soccer player was promoted to the varsity squad.

During the “campus run” the boy’s teammates grabbed the boy, according to the complaint, tore off his underwear, held him down so he could not resist, grabbed his testicles and sodomized him with their fingers and other foreign objects. The lawsuit is attached to a previous story.

In an alleged 2008 incident involving the baseball team, a woman said her son was pinned against the lockers in the locker room by a group of children, his pants were ripped down, his boxers were repeatedly ripped down, and he was exposed repeatedly by numerous members of the team. She said her son was also humiliated on bus rides, and she went to Maine West High School at the time to speak with officials about the incidents.

The D-207 board of education voted unanimously to begin dismissal proceedings on Divincenzo in December, and the district was still considering disciplinary action against other staff members involved with the investigation into hazing and bullying incidents, D-207 stated.