School Board Hears From Parents About Concerns Regarding Unit #40 East Side Teacher

Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- The Effingham School Board heard from concerned parents about an incident involving a preschooler at East Side. The mother of the child and numerous parents were present for the meeting and let their frustrations be known. The parents who attended believed the teacher involved should be fired.

Unit 40 Board President Jill Wendling read a statement about the incident:

“In light of recent reports shared on social media concerning an incident at Eastside Preschool, Effingham Unit 40 School District would like to address the community directly and provide important clarification.

“First and foremost, the District takes any report involving student safety and well-being extremely seriously. Upon learning of the August 27, 2024 incident involving a preschool student, the District immediately began its own internal review and fully cooperated with external investigations conducted by DCFS and local law enforcment.

“While privacy laws prevent us from disclosing specific details involving students or personnel, we can confirm that the staff member in question was immediately removed from classroom duties involving the student involved and restricted from working with students pending the District’s investigation. We are aware that DCFS has made a finding in this case and have carefully reviewed their conclusion.

“It is important to acknowledge that what has been shared publicly represents one side of a sensitive matter. The District has a responsibility to follow due process in personnel matters, including any action involving disciplinary measures or employment status. It is not always possible to share every detail while respecting the legal rights of those involved, but the Board has followed all reporting requirements and the law. This Board has also shown precedence before in dealing with similar matters swiftly.”

This is an ongoing situation and we will provide updates as they are made available.

Unit #40 also released their recent personnel moves.