Thursday, May 23, 2013
A community forum was held Wednesday on bullying and hazing in Maine Township.
Concerned community members and experts on the hazing and bullying gathered yesterday in Des Plaines for an anti-hazing forum, organized following the Maine West High School soccer team hazing scandal. A few parents impacted by hazing came to the event from as far as Indiana and even Georgia, the Daily Herald reports. Pam Champion lost her son Robert who died after a hazing-related beating at Florida A&M. She has since started a hazing prevention foundation, and told the crowd to never ignore or dismiss hazing in the community, the Chicago Tribune reports. Expert panelists said hazing can build over time, and students don’t always tell adults what’s going on for fear of being left out, the Daily Herald reports. The hazing …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A former Maine West High School soccer coach, Michael Divincenzo, faces multiple misdemeanor charges related to reports of hazing at the Des Plaines high school, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Michael Divincenzo, the former varsity boys soccer coach named in a bullying and hazing lawsuit filed by current and former students and their families, was charged on May 15 with multiple misdemeanor charges related to the reports of hazing incidents, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The criminal charges are separate from the civil lawsuit, which was filed by four current and former students. Antonio Romanucci, an attorney representing the students and their families, released the following statement in response to the criminal charges filed against Divincenzo: "The fact that Coach Divincenzo has been criminally charged brings no joy to the families whose children were brutally sexually abused while educators stood idly by allowing it to…
Friday, May 10, 2013
The attorney representing Maine West High School students in a hazing lawsuit stated a report from Maine Township High School District 207 does not address key issues.
The lawyer representing four current and former Maine West High School students and their families in a bullying and hazing lawsuit stated there were significant omissions in a report on hazing incidents in the school district. Maine Township High School District 207 hired an attorney to complete an independent investigation into hazing incidents and policies within the district, and report back to the board of education. That process concluded and D-207 released a copy of a report on the investigation and a statement about it this week. The report stated D-207 and Maine West staff responded properly and appropriately to reports of hazing in September 2012. Antonio Romanucci, the attorney representing the four students in the bullying and …
An independent investigator hired by Maine Township High School District 207 to review hazing incidents and policies within the district reported his findings to the board of education.
An independent investigator hired by Maine Township High School District 207 to review hazing incidents and policies within the district reported that district officials responded appropriately. Sergio Acosta, an attorney at Hinshaw & Culbertson, stated that D-207 and staff at Maine West High School in Des Plaines responded properly and promptly when reports of hazing were made in September 2012, according to a statement from D-207. "The Board is pleased to learn that administrative employees at both the building and District office levels responded appropriately to the hazing allegations," D-207 stated. "The Board isalso pleased to receive Mr. Acosta’s recommendations which will be carefully considered for implementation as part of the …
Friday, May 3, 2013
The anti-hazing/anti-bullying forum will be held on May 22.
Monday, April 15, 2013
The bill charges school employees with hazing when they don't report incidents occuring on campus.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, April 15
State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) passed legislation out of the House last week that charges school employees with the act of hazing when they fail to report hazing incidents among students on school grounds. “Hazing is a disturbing and unnecessary crime,” Moylan said. “By strengthening legislation to include educators and other school employees as responsible for hazing creates greater awareness of the problem. With greater awareness comes more safety.” Currently, the definition of those guilty of hazing is restricted to the individuals who performed the act. House Bill 1443 expands the current definition of hazing violators to include any person employed by a school, college, university, or other educational institution of …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Michael Divincenzo is accused of knowing about the hazing incidents at the school.
The Maine West High School soccer coach accused of allowing hazing at the school is letting go of his fight to keep his job, the Chicago Tribune reports. Michael Dicincenzo has agreed to end his employment with the district in exchange for the district providing an attorney to represent him in court regarding the hazing allegations, the newspaper reports. One of the four Maine West High School students who is suing Maine Township High School District 207 administrators, faculty and staff over hazing and bullying allegations described his experiences, and said he believes his coach, Michael Divincenzo, knew about the assaults because he saw him wink at players, WGN reported. D-207 suspended Divincenzo without pay, pending the dismissal …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Maine Township High School Board of Education will receive a status update on reports of hazing at Maine West High School in Des Plaines on Wednesday, according to a D-207 spokesperson.
Maine Township High School District 207 announced it will convene a special board meeting to discuss the report of hazing at Maine West High School on Wednesday. During the closed session portion of the meeting, board members are scheduled to discuss employment of employees and pending and probable or imminent litigation, according to the agenda. The public meeting, which is scheduled to take place in the principal’s conference room at Maine West at 4:30 p.m., according to the agenda, will include a period of time for public comments. David Beery, spokesperson for D-207, stated in an email to Patch that the board would not take any action at the meeting on Wednesday. “The board is getting a status update on matters relating to the hazing …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Community Matters will hold focus groups at three high schools this spring, the Daily Herald reports.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Tuesday, March 12
Maine Township High School District 207 has hired a consulting company to lead focus groups addressing hazing and bullying, the Daily Herald reports. Consulting company Community Matters has been hired by the district following the recent hazing allegations at Maine West High School. Six Varsity boys’ soccer team players have been charged with hazing underclassman as part of initiation. Two soccer coaches have been fired as a result of the incident as well. Community Matters will be leading focus groups at three high schools this spring. The group teaches kids and adults to “speak up when they see intolerance or incivility in the form of bullying and hazing,” the Daily Herald reports.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
All Maine Township High School District 207 teachers and administrators were given a presentation on their role as mandated reporters of hazing incidents in January, according to a D-207 spokesperson.
Maine Township High School District 207 is continuing to work on initiatives in response to reports of hazing at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, said David Beery, spokesperson for D-207, in response to news of proposed legislation that would increase the responsibility of education employees that neglect to report hazing incidents. The bill, announced by Illinois Rep. Marty Moylan, 55th District, in a statement on Tuesday, would expand the definition of a hazing violator to include not only those carrying out the acts, but any employee that fails in his or her duty to report an incident of hazing. All D-207 teachers and administrators were given a presentation on their role as mandated reporters of hazing incidents in January, Beery…
Sam
1:21 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
In the May 16th Suntimes, the charges were dropped against the students who were involved because their peers (victims) didn't want to press charges. So are these kids saying it wasn't as bad as they claimed? If that's the case what is the coach being charged for? Did the coach force his team to hold down other students on the team and sodomize them? They interviewed 100 people regarding the … more ›