Statute Of Limitations Expired For ETHS Teacher Accused Of Abuse

EVANSTON, IL — The retired Evanston Township High School teacher who has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of former students will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said Wednesday. Bruce Siewerth, a 77-year-old Glenview resident, was a speech arts teacher at the school between 1965 and 1999. He operated with impunity as he groped and harassed teenage boys under his supervision as a head of theater services, in the Upstairs Theater and as director of the YAMO student-run performance showcase, according to former students.

As the #MeToo movement gained momentum last fall, several prominent ETHS alumi accused Siewerth of being a serial abuser. Three former students have filed civil lawsuits against him. The suits also accuse the school of knowing about the pattern of abuse and doing nothing to stop or remedy it.

"The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office will not be able to bring charges because the statute of limitations expired," a spokesperson confirmed.

Students at the school's theater department said they were hesitant to complain, partially due to Seiwerth's power to control casting and partially due to the otherwise high quality of the education on offer.

"It's just that he tended to grab guys' crotches now and again while that was going on, and that was the problem. That's crossing the line," one former student told Patch in 2017.

Siewerth has denied the allegations. He told reporters he may have moved students around on stage but never groped them.

“I'm not Trump. I don't understand it," Siewerth told WGN in 2017. "I don’t get what’s going on or why it’s going on." He claimed he was being accused by "people who don't like me because I didn't cast them," telling the Evanston Review, "I'm not a sexual predator for goodness sake. I'm a grandfather."

Evanston police said they have interviewed 35 people who said they were abused by Siewerth during his 34-year career at ETHS. Another 40 to 50 people have corroborated the allegations. Police said the abuse took place at school and away from school, and the most recent offense occurred no later than graduation of 1992.

Last October, District 202 Superintendent Eric Witherspoon released a letter apologizing "for the pain certain individuals may be experiencing as a result of these allegations."

The school issued an order banning Siewerth from campus and school events after becoming aware of concerns about him attending a 60th anniversary celebration of the student-produced YAMO show.

Although Witherspoon said that the district "cannot legally provide specific information regarding any personnel matter," he assured the public the district is responding to all its legal requirements.

The district may have a legal duty to provide a legal defense for its former teacher, depending on applicable union contracts, his lawyer told Pioneer Press in December.

One former student told Patch she told school administrators she had witnessed misconduct in 1993, but nothing was done about it. The then-superintendent disputes the claim.

"I didn't want to be anywhere near the theater after that, because it was clear the school couldn't protect me or the other students he was touching," she said.

According to personnel records obtained by Patch, Siewerth was honored by the district upon retirement as someone "who shares his profound love of the theatre arts with his students and colleagues in so many ways."

Related:

• Former ETHS Teacher Accused Of Sexual Abuse
• District 'Deeply Sorry' About ETHS Teacher Sexual Abuse Allegations
• Two Former ETHS Students Sue, Alleging Sex Abuse By Drama Teacher
• Third Student Sues Over ETHS Drama Teacher's Alleged Sexual Abuse