New D124 Principal Banned From Contact With Staff At Old Job

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — A former school administrator from Highland Park who has been hired by Evergreen Park District 124 to become the new principal of Central Middle School was banned from school property and having any contact with staff of North Shore School District 112 after he was he was placed on leave earlier this year. A Jan. 5 letter from an attorney for the district also asked the beleaguered school administrator, who would later resign amid allegations of bullying, harassment and other workplace misconduct, not to perform any work for the district or "otherwise discuss this matter publicly," according to heavily redacted correspondence obtained through a public records request.

Evergreen Park ESD 124 Board of Education is expected to hold another closed meeting tentative set for June 14 to allow Dr. Matthew Eriksen to address accusations from his former colleagues. The board convened a special meeting on May 30 when the allegations surfaced from his old school district after it was announced that Eriksen had been hired as the new middle school principal. D124 board members took no action.

A few weeks after an attorney for the district formally notified him of the terms of his leave, the North Shore School District 112 board approved a settlement that effectively ended the investigation and forbade district administrators from disclosing the nature of his departure to potential future employers.

Eriksen, who has declined repeated requests for an interview, is currently on administrative leave for "personal reasons." His contract with District 112 expires at the end of the month. As reported by Patch, he was accused of a variety of inappropriate behavior by more than a dozen district employees over the course of an internal investigation.

That investigation was never complete, as Eriksen and the NSSD-112 board negotiated a resignation and separation agreement, which included a requirement that he receive an agreed-upon letter of recommendation for his next job and never try to work in the district again without special permission.

Following the publication of the accounts of several Edgewood staffers who spoke on condition of anonymity, the bargaining unit for teachers in the district released a statement in support of their decision to share their experiences with Eriksen:

The North Shore Education Association would like to share that we are here to support our teachers. We believe our teachers are truthful and honest in their statements and applaud them for coming forward to share very personal and difficult experiences. We ask that people refrain from disparaging or diminishing teachers for coming forward to share their own personal truths. We believe this is a time for healing and for unity. We are here for all NSEA members.

Although parents and staff were notified at the time when Eriksen was placed on leave, the south suburban district that hired him had no idea why. There is no indication the district, where he is due to begin work as principal of Central Middle School in July, was aware of the nature of his administrative leave.

What Eriksen told the Evergreen Park District 124 board beyond closed doors about the reasons for his employment status and separation agreement has not yet been publicly disclosed.

It was only after hiring him that the D-124 board, administration and several members of the media received an anonymous letter summarizing allegations against Eriksen, which included a copy of the announcement that Eriksen had been put on leave.

"We are informing you that Dr. Eriksen is on administrative leave for personal reasons. Please rest assured that the reasons for his absence do not involve the health, safety or welfare of any students or community members. Beyond that, we hope you can understand that we are prohibited from commenting on individual personnel matters," the NSSD-112 community was told on Jan. 3.

Redacted Email Exchange

There was only one email exchange between Deputy Superintendent Monica Schroeder and Matt Eriksen between Thanksgiving and the Jan. 2 special meeting of the board at which members decided to place him on leave, according to the district's response to request under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

On Dec. 8, Eriksen sent an email with the subject line of "[Redacted]. - Follow Up" to one or more unspecified recipients, including Schroeder.

"Hi, Monica. [Redacted] and I met with [Redacted] today to discuss [Redacted paragraph.] During the meeting, [Two redacted paragraphs] Have a great weekend. Best, Matt Eriksen"

Schroeder responded on Dec. 10 in a message copied to Edgewood's two associate principals.

"Matt," she wrote. "Thank you for the update. [Redacted paragraph.] I hope you enjoy your Sunday. Monica"

The district's response alleges the redacted information would either cause an unwarranted invasion of privacy or constitutes "preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated."

Patch is presently seeking further review of the redactions by the Illinois attorney general's office.

On Jan. 23, the NSSD-112 board unanimously approved the separation agreement with Eriksen. There was no discussion before the vote. Board President Eric Ephraim has not responded to repeated requests for an interview.

Proposed Reforms

Settlement agreements can be mutually beneficial for employers and employees, and lawyers for public bodies often recommend them to boards to avoid the risk of costly litigation or unwelcome negative attention. But following the emergence of the #MeToo movement and coinciding with an increase in allegations of workplace misconduct, mostly by men and mostly toward female employees, Illinois lawmakers are looking to tighten up transparency requirements under state law.

To encourage disclosure of payments by school boards to employees accused of misconduct – and to avoid districts being taken by surprise by revelations of allegations lodged against new hires at their old gigs – a bipartisan bill passed last month through the General Assembly and awaits the governor's signature.

It amends the Illinois Freedom of Information Act to require public bodies to make public announcements within 72 hours of entering into certain severance agreements. An early version of the legislation required local governments to post public notices when they make payouts to employees that leave amid accusations of sexual harassment or sexual discrimination.

But House Bill 4242, sponsored by David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) and Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines), was amended to require a higher standard. Employees must be "found to have engaged" in harassment in order to compel the disclosure of severance payments.

As a result, it would appear that if an administrator chooses to negotiate a letter of resignation with a school district while under investigation for harassment or discrimination, the district would not be required to disclose the payment because the investigation was never finalized.

“We as taxpayers have a right to know if taxpayer money is being used to pay for settlements with government employees guilty of sexual harassment or sexual discrimination,” McSweeney said, in a statement after the bill passed through the house. “Settlements like this have been kept hidden from the public for far too long. This legislation shines a spotlight on these severance agreements and holds taxing bodies accountable for their actions.”

The amended version, which provides for several additional exemptions, was passed by a vote of 59-0 in the Senate and 108-1 in the House on the final day of the spring legislative session

“It’s all about transparency. When a person applies for a job all information should be made available from his or her previous employers," Moylan said in a release. "Search firms should be able to get sexual harassment information because of this proposed law."

Both Moylan and McSweeney cited the case of former Des Plaines Elementary School superintendent Floyd Williams as a motivation for the bill. The former administrator was given a $127,000 severance payment as part of a separation agreement that resolved allegations that he had sexually harassed women who worked for the district.

Williams has argued it is unfair to link him to the bill and complained of unfair treatment from the media. He said his prior employers in Wisconsin had created a hostile environment and that's why he left, rather than any investigation of misconduct. The bill would therefore not have applied to his case, despite politicians holding him up as a poster child of reform of settlement agreements.

"Although I do recognize that my words or actions may have been misinterpreted on occasion by my colleagues and I have apologized for that," Williams wrote, in a lengthy essay he posted last month. "I do not deserve to be lumped in with those who have committed crimes."

Williams neglected to address any specific allegations from the district, suggesting staff had retaliated against him because he was holding them to higher standards of accountability and speculated that subordinates had been uncomfortable working under him because of his race. He has declined repeated interview requests.

In the wake of a recent Chicago Tribune investigative series into the handing of more than 500 cases of sexual abuse and violence against Chicago Public Schools students, Illinois lawmakers will consider several draft proposals to increase transparency around claims of abuse and misconduct by school employees.

Among them is a proposal from McSweeney and Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) that would make it easier to share internal investigative findings and disciplinary records of employees with other school district, according to the Tribune. Much of that information is currently shielded from other districts, including potential employers, under state personnel records law. McSweeney said he expected support for the proposal from both sides of the aisle but potential opposition from teachers' unions.

The District 124 Board of Education is due to meet again to further discuss Eriksen's hiring on June 14. In a statement, the board said due process procedures would be followed and Eriksen would be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations from staff members in Highland Park.

"Appropriate steps must be followed before the Board makes a decision," it said.

Related:

• Middle School Principal Resigned In Wake Of #MeToo Investigation
• D124 Board Puts Off Decision To Rescind Offer To New Principal
  
• D124 Board Issues Statement On Decision To Delay Principal Vote
• Departing District 62 Superintendent Denies Allegations

Jan. 5, 2018 letter from NSSD-112 attorney Anthony J. Loizzi to former Edgewood Middle School principal Matt Eriksen:

Portion of anonymous letter sent to District 124 on May 18:

I am a staff member at Edgewood Middle School in North Shore School District 112. I am writing to you with grave concern about the hiring of Dr. Eriksen as your new principal at Central Middle School.

Dr. Eriksen was put on administrative leave on January 3, 2018 and did not return to Edgewood or NSSD112. While Dr. Eriksen is still technically employed in NSSD112, he is only under contract as a formality in an effort to protect staff. He is not permitted to speak with or have contact with any staff member at Edgewood ... Numerous staff members from Edgewood and NSSD112 came forward with concerns about Dr. Eriksen's conduct. There are several teachers who were sexually harassed by Dr. Eriksen during his time in NSSD112. Additionally, his administrative leadership style included leading by fear, intimidation, retaliation, and a lack of professionalism. He routinely exhibited favoritism toward certain staff members (mostly men), toward students (often the male athletes), and toward parents with whom he had unprofessional, friendly relationships. Staff members who were not in Dr. Eriksen's inner circle were treated horribly during his time at Edgewood. I would not wish to see anyone treated the way that Dr. Eriksen treated much of the staff at Edgewood.

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