East Aurora School District 131: Statement Following Guilty Verdict On Former District Employee

Press release from East Aurora School District 131:

August 23, 2021

On August 20, 2021, East Aurora School District 131 officials learned that former Bardwell Elementary teacher Juan Avendano was convicted of three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault. The criminal offense happened on school premises while Mr. Avendano was employed by District 131.

As is our customary practice, Mr. Avendano was placed on administrative leave on March 8, 2018, immediately after we learned about the investigation, has not worked in our district since that time, and was subsequently terminated.

While we are confident that justice has been served in the criminal proceedings, the outcome of the criminal charges does not alter District 131’s assertion of facts and defenses in the civil litigation, which support dismissal of claims of any wrongdoing against the school district and its leadership.

As a district, our top priority is the safety and emotional well-being of our students. District 131 has worked very hard to establish a culture of trust within our school communities. Anything that threatens to erode student safety or our culture of trust is something we take very seriously.

As a reminder, any suspected child abuse or neglect can be reported to DCFS at 1-800-25-ABUSE, or to the Aurora Police Department via 9-1-1 or (630) 256-5000.

This press release was produced by East Aurora School District 131. The views expressed here are the author’s own.