Board Rescinds Job Offer To Highland Park Principal

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A south suburban school board Thursday reversed its decision to hire the former principal of a Highland Park middle school accused of workplace misconduct by former colleagues. The Evergreen Park District 124 Board of Education voted 6-0, with one abstention, to reconsider its appointment of Matt Eriksen, who had been due to begin as principal of Central Middle School in Evergreen Park on July 1.

Eriksen's contract with North Shore School District 112 expires June 30. He was placed on "administrative leave for personal reasons" on Jan. 2. Later that month, he and the board agreed a separation agreement that included a letter of resignation, confidentiality terms and assurances he would remain on the payroll on "special assignment" for the rest of the school year – despite being banned from school property, contact with staff and district work.

JoAnne Reilly, a teacher in the district for 25 years, works at Central Middle School and would have worked under Eriksen. During public comment, she asked why the board didn't spot the red flags.

“I, and everyone else in this field, understands that when someone is released from a contract or put on leave by a district and administration, there is something going on. We may not know the problem, but we know something has led to that,” Reilly said. “If there is a candidate directed by the school board to go on a leave of absence, why was he in the pool of candidates to begin with when there are so many other candidates out there not on leave or have red flags?”

In three motions, the board reconsidered and rescinded its May 16 vote that approved Eriksen's appointment before terminating "to the extent required by law" any contract established by its earlier vote.

"Legal obligations often make it challenging for the district to act as swiftly as some people may have preferred," said Board President Kimberly Leonard, reading from prepared remarks ahead of the votes. "We are thankful for the community, and they have stood together in unity while we took steps to resolve this situation."

Eriksen has declined to respond publicly to the allegations that more than a dozen former staffers at Edgewood Middle School complained about his behavior to district administrators. He said his lawyer was considering a request for an interview.

"The district is not going to focus on Dr. Eriksen or today's process," Machak told Patch. "My role now moving forward is to find the best principal for Central Middle School. I've lost a month because of this process."

Patch Editor Lorraine Swanson contributed

Related:

• D124 Board Holds Second Meeting To Reconsider Principal Offer
• Controversial Principal Banned From Contact With Staff: Lawyer
• D124 Board Puts Off Decision To Rescind Offer To New Principal
• Middle School Principal Resigned In Wake Of #MeToo Investigation