Friday, November 20, 2009 East Central Illinois

Former Urbana school administrators plead innocent in White case

By: Amy F. Reiter

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Saturday, August 23, 2008

URBANA – Three former Urbana school administrators arrived in Champaign County Circuit Court on Friday surrounded by family, friends and more than a handful of current and former district employees.

The administrators – former Superintendent Gene Amberg, former human resources director Carmelita Thomas and former principal Janice Bradley – pleaded not guilty to charges that they had reason to believe that a child was being abused by former Urbana teacher Jon White and did not report it.

White has been convicted of 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, eight of them for acts within Urbana schools. The two other counts were for acts committed by White while he was teaching in McLean County Unit 5.

Under Illinois law, all school employees are required to report any known or suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Family Services.

Amberg and Thomas are each charged with one count of failing to make a mandated report. Bradley is charged with two counts of failing to report.

Amberg's attorney, Tony Novak, said his client "is anxious to tell his side of this." He said Amberg acted promptly regarding White. "Any information that he received has been acted upon immediately and has been documented," he said.

According to DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe, the department received a report concerning White on Jan. 31, 2007. The first parents to raise concerns about White's behavior with their daughter after school did so in November 2006.

Asked why Amberg had not made a report, Novak said, "I'm not sure that's right that there was no report made."

Bradley's attorney, Ed Piraino, said after the arraignment that he thinks the charges are unfounded and that the administrators acted in accordance with the law. He said the situation has taken a toll on Bradley. "She's hurt," he said. "She's been a teacher for 33 years."

Thomas and her lawyer, Dan Kennedy, declined to comment.

White's parents, Robert and Joyce White, also attended the arraignment. Joyce White said she was "anxious to see what happens."

In court today, Judge Richard P. Klaus set a preliminary hearing for Amberg, Bradley and Thomas on Oct. 17.

Klaus said the maximum penalty for failure to make a mandated report – a misdemeanor – is 364 days in county jail and a fine.

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