Friday, November 20, 2009 East Central Illinois

Defendants react to suit in Jon White case with silence

By: Amy F. Reiter

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Saturday, July 26, 2008

Representatives of Urbana and Normal school districts declined to comment following the filing of a civil suit related to former teacher Jon White.

The suit was filed Friday by Champaign lawyer Ellyn Bullock on behalf of one of White's child victims and her mother. It alleges that both districts failed to make mandated reports of suspected and known child abuse, the Urbana schools failed to follow hiring procedures, and Normal school officials were dishonest in a recommendation of White's job performance, among several other allegations in the 33-count suit.

White, who is also named in the suit, taught at Thomas Paine Elementary School in Urbana until his arrest in January 2007. He has since pleaded guilty to 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for actions against 10 girls in Champaign and McLean counties, and been sentenced to 60 years in prison.

White is serving his sentence at the Menard prison in southern Illinois.

In an e-mail, Urbana schools spokesman Mark Schultz said the district "has no comment on the pending litigation." He referred questions to the district's attorney, Dennis Weedman, who did not respond to calls or an e-mail Friday.

Urbana school district employees named in the suit include former Superintendent Gene Amberg; former Director of Human Resources Carmelita Thomas; former Thomas Paine Principal Janice Bradley; two afterschool program employees during White's time at Urbana, Rhiannon Ross and Lamar Walker; and current Thomas Paine teacher Kay Grabow.

Amberg, Thomas, Bradley and Grabow did not return calls seeking comment. Ross and Walker could not be reached.

Jim Kearns, the Urbana lawyer representing the Normal school district, said the district – where White taught from 2003-2005 – had no comment. He said it's "too early to tell" if he also represents the individuals from Normal schools named in the suit.

They include former superintendent Alan Chapman, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Jim Braksick; current Colene Hoose Elementary School Principal Edward Heineman; former Colene Hoose Assistant Principal Dale Heidbreder; and John Pye, the assistant superintendent of operations and human resources.

Dana Brown, an assistant to the superintendent, said Pye and Braksick were on vacation and Heineman was out of the office. Chapman and Heidbreder could not be reached.

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