A former Maine West High School soccer coach, Michael Divincenzo, faces multiple misdemeanor charges related to reports of hazing at the Des Plaines high school, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Michael Divincenzo, the former varsity boys soccer coach named in a bullying and hazing lawsuit filed by current and former students and their families, was charged on May 15 with multiple misdemeanor charges related to the reports of hazing incidents, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The criminal charges are separate from the civil lawsuit, which was filed by four current and former students. Antonio Romanucci, an attorney representing the students and their families, released the following statement in response to the criminal charges filed against Divincenzo: "The fact that Coach Divincenzo has been criminally charged brings no joy to the families whose children were brutally sexually abused while educators stood idly by allowing it to…
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The attorney representing Maine West High School students in a hazing lawsuit stated a report from Maine Township High School District 207 does not address key issues.
The lawyer representing four current and former Maine West High School students and their families in a bullying and hazing lawsuit stated there were significant omissions in a report on hazing incidents in the school district. Maine Township High School District 207 hired an attorney to complete an independent investigation into hazing incidents and policies within the district, and report back to the board of education. That process concluded and D-207 released a copy of a report on the investigation and a statement about it this week. The report stated D-207 and Maine West staff responded properly and appropriately to reports of hazing in September 2012. Antonio Romanucci, the attorney representing the four students in the bullying and …
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An independent investigator hired by Maine Township High School District 207 to review hazing incidents and policies within the district reported his findings to the board of education.
An independent investigator hired by Maine Township High School District 207 to review hazing incidents and policies within the district reported that district officials responded appropriately. Sergio Acosta, an attorney at Hinshaw & Culbertson, stated that D-207 and staff at Maine West High School in Des Plaines responded properly and promptly when reports of hazing were made in September 2012, according to a statement from D-207. "The Board is pleased to learn that administrative employees at both the building and District office levels responded appropriately to the hazing allegations," D-207 stated. "The Board isalso pleased to receive Mr. Acosta’s recommendations which will be carefully considered for implementation as part of the …
The anti-hazing/anti-bullying forum will be held on May 22.
12:51 pm on Friday, May 3, 2013
Any child development experts on the panel? That would be helpful... more ›
Michael Divincenzo is accused of knowing about the hazing incidents at the school.
The Maine West High School soccer coach accused of allowing hazing at the school is letting go of his fight to keep his job, the Chicago Tribune reports. Michael Dicincenzo has agreed to end his employment with the district in exchange for the district providing an attorney to represent him in court regarding the hazing allegations, the newspaper reports. One of the four Maine West High School students who is suing Maine Township High School District 207 administrators, faculty and staff over hazing and bullying allegations described his experiences, and said he believes his coach, Michael Divincenzo, knew about the assaults because he saw him wink at players, WGN reported. D-207 suspended Divincenzo without pay, pending the dismissal …
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Community Matters will hold focus groups at three high schools this spring, the Daily Herald reports.
Maine Township High School District 207 has hired a consulting company to lead focus groups addressing hazing and bullying, the Daily Herald reports. Consulting company Community Matters has been hired by the district following the recent hazing allegations at Maine West High School. Six Varsity boys’ soccer team players have been charged with hazing underclassman as part of initiation. Two soccer coaches have been fired as a result of the incident as well. Community Matters will be leading focus groups at three high schools this spring. The group teaches kids and adults to “speak up when they see intolerance or incivility in the form of bullying and hazing,” the Daily Herald reports.
Illinois State Rep. Marty Moylan proposed legislation he says strengthens accountability of education employees to report hazing incidents.
A vote on the Illinois House floor is the next step for a bill that would make the responsibility for hazing at education institutions equal for both those doing the hazing and any employees that neglect to report it. Illinois State Rep. Marty Moylan, 55th District, introduced the legislation, which passed through the judiciary committee, he stated in a press release on Wednesday. Moylan said, in an interview with Patch, the proposed law would make all school employees already responsible for reporting hazing also accountable for the actions if they fail to report them. “You don’t have to be a teacher, you could be a janitor,” Moylan said. “Whatever your job title is, if one of your responsibilities is to report hazing, and you don’t, then…
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An attorney representing four current and former Maine West High School students in a bullying and hazing lawsuit said proposed legislation that would stiffen disciplinary action for education employees that fail to report hazing would not affect the suit
An attorney representing four current and former Maine West High School students in a bullying and hazing lawsuit stopped short of saying proposed legislation validated his clients’ complaints, but Antonio Romanucci, of Chicago-based Romanucci and Blandin, said the recent action acknowledged hazing incidents do occur. The bill, which Illinois Rep. Marty Moylan, 55th District, announced in a public statement on Wednesday, would make employees of educational institutions that fail to report hazing incidents equally responsible for the actions as those who carried out the acts. “It certainly indicates that there’s a problem out there, and the problem needs to be stopped,” Romanucci said. “And certainly Rep. Moylan is addressing that.” If …
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The law firm representing four former and current students in a hazing lawsuit against D-207 administrators and faculty claims a letter sent to Dr. Audrey Haugan from the parent of a student at the Des Plaines high school in 2008 is evidence Maine Townshi
A lawyer representing current and former students in the Maine West High School hazing case alleged that the school's principal knew about the abuse in 2008. Antonio Romanucci, of Romanucci & Blandin, said a letter sent to Maine West Principal Audrey Haugan in 2008 showed she knew about the abuse, and did not report it to District 207, as required by law. Ken Wallace, superintendent at D-207, said in November that the first reports the district received of bullying and hazing at the Des Plaines high school were in September 2012. Romanucci addressed the press outside the District 207 boardroom, where members were meeting in closed session about a variety of hazing-related issues. Romanucci said that the school board has acknowledged the …
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2:12 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
I have to believe that some of the board members were also aware. Some, though retired from the school, are very involved in the day to day happenings at the school. After firing the coaches and whatever the outcome with Dr. Haugan, are they going to step down? more ›
Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education voted in favor of beginning the dismissal process on a Maine West High School soccer coach in connection with reports of bullying and hazing at a meeting in Park Ridge on Thursday.
Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education voted in favor of beginning the dismissal process on Emilio Rodriguez, a Maine West High School soccer coach, in connection with reports of bullying and hazing at a meeting in Park Ridge on Thursday. Sean Sullivan, president of the board, read an official statement on the matter in this video. D-207 began the dismissal process on a second soccer coach at Maine West, Michael DiVincenzo, at a meeting in December.
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1:17 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
They need to fire ALL staff members for turning a blind eye to this nonsense ! more ›
Sam
1:21 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
In the May 16th Suntimes, the charges were dropped against the students who were involved because their peers (victims) didn't want to press charges. So are these kids saying it wasn't as bad as they claimed? If that's the case what is the coach being charged for? Did the coach force his team to hold down other students on the team and sodomize them? They interviewed 100 people regarding the … more ›