Thursday, May 16, 2013
Michael Divincenzo faces eight misdemeanor charges related to reports of physical assaults at Maine West High School in Des Plaines in 2012, according to Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
A former varsity boys soccer coach and teacher at Maine West High School faces multiple criminal charges related to reports of bullying and hazing, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez stated on Wednesday. Michael Divincenzo was charged with eight misdemeanor counts including three counts of battery, one count of hazing and four counts of failure to report abuse as mandated, in incidents on June 1, 2012, Aug. 31, 2012 and Sept. 26, 2012, according to court documents. Divincenzo is accused of threatening freshmen students to have the varsity players stick their thumbs up their buttocks if they did not communicate properly during a soccer drill, according to the charges. Freshmen team players were held down by varsity players against …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
A roundup of the most-read stories from March 31 to April 6.
Woman Screams After Waking to Intruder in Cowboy Hat published April 1. Grazie! Banquets Building up for Auction published April 3. Des Plaines Panera Gets Makeover published April 2. Cops Arrest Man Accused of Maine Township Burglaries published April 2. D-207 Cuts Deal with Maine West Coach Fired in Hazing Case published April 2. Find Patch on Facebook and click the like button.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Law enforcement, experts on hazing and victims of abuse speak at the Des Plaines Park District Leisure Center on May 22, Journal and Topics Newspapers reported.
Plans for a public forum about bullying and hazing are underway. The forum, which will include law enforcement officials, experts on bullying and hazing and victims of abuse, was organized in the wake of reports and investigations into incidents of sexual assault and abuse at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Journal and Topics Newspapers reported. The hazing forum will be held at the Des Plaines Park District Leisure Center, 2222 Birch St. on May 22, Journal and Topics Newspapers reported. The local news outlet is sponsoring the event. Maine Township High School District 207 and Maine West have been entangled in a hazing scandal that came to light last fall, when students on the varsity soccer team reported incidents of abuse. Since …
Maine Township High School District 207 stated a statement made by a lawyer representing current and former Maine West High School students in a hazing lawsuit was “inaccurate and self-serving.”
Maine Township High School District 207 criticized a statement made by a lawyer in a hazing lawsuit regarding its agreement with a former employee. Michael Divincenzo, a former Maine West High School teacher and soccer coach fired over hazing allegations, dropped his appeal of the termination and agreed to cooperate with Maine Township High School District 207 in its defense of a lawsuit, D-207 stated on Monday. Antonio Romanucci the lawyer representing current and former Maine West High School students in a hazing lawsuit filed against district employees including Divincenzo, another former teacher and soccer coach and the principal at Maine West. “What once was an adversarial proceeding between Maine West and Coach Divo has now evolved …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Michael Divincenzo, a former Maine West High School varsity boys’ soccer coach, denied any wrongdoing in a statement regarding his dismissal of an appeal to his termination from Maine Township High School District 207.
A former Maine West High School soccer coach fired over hazing allegations has dropped his appeal of the termination and agreed to cooperate with Maine Township High School District 207 in its defense of a lawsuit. Michael Divincenzo said his decision to drop the challenge to his firing should not be construed as an admission of guilt. “I know that I have done nothing wrong and intend to vigorously contest the allegations in the pending civil case,” Divincenzo stated. “This has been a difficult decision that was made in the best interests of my family.” Current and former students sued District 207 and school officials alleging that bullying and hazing was allowed to go on for years. One of the four Maine West students suing school …
Monday, January 7, 2013
The measure is one of several Maine Township High School District 207 has planned in response to allegations of hazing and bullying at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, D-207 stated on Jan. 3.
Maine Township High School District 207 has a series of preventative measures regarding hazing and bullying planned, and has taken several steps already to address the issue, D-207 stated on Jan. 3. The statement came in response to allegations outlined by a former Maine West student at his attorney’s office in Chicago on Jan. 3. Among the accusations, the former student and soccer player, now 19, said he believed coaches were aware of the physical and sexual assaults that he and many other players endured because, in part, he saw former boys varsity soccer coach Michael Divincenzo wink before and after the assaults took place. The D-207 board of education voted unanimously to begin dismissal proceedings on Divincenzo in December, and the …
Saturday, January 5, 2013
A former Maine West student said he believes his former soccer coach, Michael Divincenzo, was aware of and encouraged hazing and bullying at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, WGN reported.
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 process, in December. Divincenzo sent a request to D-207 for a hearing before a hearing officer on the matter, TribLocal reported. Supporters of Divincenzo and another coach named in the lawsuit, Emilio Rodriguez, organized a “peace fire” for Jan. 1, an activity promoted by the coaches with their teams, but canceled it due to low attendance, according to posts…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Hundreds attended a special Maine Township High School District 207 meeting in Park Ridge on Wednesday to discuss personnel issues related to the bullying and hazing allegations at Maine West High School.
Impassioned statements made by current and former Maine West High School students, and one parent, in support of coaches scrutinized by the school district over bullying and hazing allegations were not enough to convince board members to continue employing the varsity soccer coach and high school teacher Michael DiVincenzo. Tait Jensen said he played on the varsity soccer team at Maine West for three years, and was co-captain of the team for one year. “The culture Divo and Rodriguez created and sanctioned was exactly what you want your schools’ athletic programs to have,” Jensen said. “It wasn’t a culture of hazing or mistreatment or assault; it was an atmosphere of friendship and understanding that fostered trust amongst players and …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Current and former Maine West High School students spoke in support of two teachers on paid leave, pending the results of D-207’s investigation into bullying and hazing allegations.
Hundreds of community members filled the Maine Township High School District 207 boardroom in Park Ridge Wednesday as the school board met to discuss personnel matters related to the bullying and hazing investigation at Maine West High School in Des Plaines. Approximately a dozen current and former Maine West students, and one parent, addressed board members in support of Michael Divincenzo and Emilio Rodriguez, both teachers and coaches at the Des Plaines high school. A 2012 Maine West alum who spoke to the board on Wednesday night, Tait Jensen, said he played soccer under the supervision of Coaches Divincenzo and Rodriguez for three years. Jensen said the environment the two coaches promoted was one of respect, and they would not condone…
A special meeting for the Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Dec. 19.
A special meeting of the Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education to discuss personnel matters related to the investigation into bullying and hazing allegations was scheduled for Wednesday. The meeting will include an opportunity for public comment, said David Beery, spokesperson for D-207. The board will go into closed executive session, Beery said, return to open session and take a vote, if needed, on any personnel matter. Five D-207 employees were reassigned following the allegations of bullying and hazing. Michael Divincenzo and Emilio Rodriguez have teaching contracts with D-207 and are coaches at Maine West High School in Des Plaines. Divincenzo and Rodriguez were reassigned with pay, pending the result of D-207’s …
Patricia Sullivan Snyder
6:41 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Good decision by the school board to let this guy go. Given the accusations, he can't coach effectively, which is what've was hired to do. The school district has better things to spend its money on, like education. There is enough evidence that he did something wrong to terminate him. more ›