If I received a document with things blacked out, my VERY FIRST question would be, "Can I have a copy without the blacked-out wording?" Isn't it human nature to want to know what's being covered up? At that point, one would've been told that the clean document could be obtained post-court. Seems a bit like don't ask, don't tell....

If you are doing an investigation wouldn’t you want to talk to the person who made the allegations? To hide behind “our attorney advised us against it” doesn’t hold water with me. If he advised against it, doesn’t that send up a flag saying we could get into more trouble/legal issues by doing so? Isn’t the primary objective to determine what really happened? If this would have been handled appropriated Steinert could have resigned to pursue other interests. Look how this is going to affect our children now. In my opinion, Griffith should be out. By the way, where was the school Board? They were informed of this. Why weren’t they asking these questions or asking for more information?

If the "evidence" that the board weighed when they decided to give Steinert a "second chance" consisted of a police report with blacked out wording and Steinert's own version of the events then they actually weighed no evidence at all...shame.

The most unfortunate part of this shameful story is that the children are hearing, thinking and talking about this--in detail! Those parents who have daughters the age of this victim must also be seething! The superintendent could have averted all of this years ago by staging a thorough investigation and dismissing him! Relying on the principal’s version of the incidents, and not conducting further questioning was unbelievably naïve and reckless, and Dr. Griffith should be held responsible. And we are led to believe that our high salaries are attracting a better caliber of school personnel--especially at the top?

If the Board's attorney's advised them not to talk to the victim or not to interview the accuser, then the Board's attorneys should be fired. That is the second thing you do in any type of investigation of this type. I don't believe any school law firm would have advised that, but if Griffith is telling the truth, then the law firm was wrong to advise that, especially when sexual allegations were involved. You want to wiegh all the evidence, not just the accused's story.

Fire them all!!!

We expect much better from one of the highest paid senior leadership teams in the nation! First we get an admitted sexual deviant make up his own story. Then we get a Superintendant who looks the other way and tells HR to deal with it. We then get an uninterested, uninvolved Board give both men bonuses later that same year! Why is there a closed session Board meeting Sunday night--it should have been held last Thursday. Unfortunately, there is much precedent in our society today. Penn State comes to mind--the President was let go immediately along with everyone else involved. Mr. Griffith needs to be fired for cause for his complete failure of leadership--and no going away bonuses! The Board should let Mr. Griffith go as soon as he explains himself, but knowing this Board, Mr. Griffith will be leading the meeting. The Board President should also resign for failing to ask even rudimentary questions. As the father of an 11-year old girl at Deerpath, I don't want her surrounded by these people. And where was the police dept.--why did we have to rely on a neighboring dept. to get to the bottom of this? Pull the resource officer from DPM as well!

Mr. Griffith certainly did not take the appropriate steps to investigate the situation. His excuse of "we made a mistake" is unacceptable at best. How feeble to proclaim "we" made a mistake? As Superintendent he is ultimately responsible for all such actions and decisions. It appears perhaps the Citizens of our School District may have "made a mistake" in accepting Griffith as Superintendent. As the father of three daughters, I do not want the type of behavior exhibited by Mr. Steinert excused, or worse, allowed because some higher Authority did not follow through with the most basic of efforts.

If we as a community are serious about Griffith's resignation (as well as BOE members), then it's going to be up to us to do something. Those of us who know Griffith know very well that he would never resign. And his firm hold on the BOE will prevent them from asking for his resignation.

So how do we go about doing this? Do we petition the BOE/city? I for one will be calling the IL State Superintendent on Monday to voice my anger & find out how we get rid of Griffith. Anyone else with me?

This guy should of been fired in 2009. I can not believe the school district let this guy go back to work. I wonder what the children of the school think. Epecially the girls now and in the former classes of the lake forest middle school. I'm sure they thought he was a prevert then and now. This guy must of been thinking about sexual acts not only with this girl but with many others too for a long time. I would be afaid to have my dauther go to lake forest middle school. who knows what this guy is thinking when he looks at these young girls in middle school. the police officer should get sexual herassment file on him to. What kind of a man or police officer would say that to a young intern. Police officer is a prevert to. get rid of these guys.

I agree with Ted--and all of you! How can we justify giving a bonus, housing allowance, hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to an administrator that has placed our children (ages 10 to 22!) in harm’s way? If the superintendent is fired, will he get a “severance pay”? Will he still get his hefty retirement pension? How do we feel about paying him the highest of salaries after all of this? If the board members are reticent to do something about this—due to years of camaraderie with this man—they should resign and be replaced with a new board that isn’t his “friend”. Isn’t it usually the case: a board can’t act against a “friend” and colleague? Isn’t this how so many of these incidents, which are recently popping up in the news, remain hidden--to the detriment of children?

Is the closed door meeting being held so late after the latest revelations so as to give the Board and the Superintendant more time to gauge the extent of the fallout. Bad news generally never ages well and gives more time for the community to become outraged at the many failures coming to light here. It sounds like the children were never a consideration in the poor decision making processes displayed here, just damage control and self preservation. Our community deserves better!

By asking for the police report through the Freedom of Information Act, ANY good lawyer could have advised Dr. Griffith that the report would be redacted and thereby not damaging to Steinert or the Board, and would fulfill the appearance of due diligence. All so Mr. Steinert could be protected, promoted and preserved within the District and Dr Griffith's responsibilities to the Board would be covered.

I believe that Board acted on incomplete knowledge, through Dr. Griffith's conscious decision to protect Mr. Steinert's reputation through a less than thorough investigation. It would have been unusual for the Board to bypass Dr. Griffiths handling of the case by asking for further steps taken that might embarrass Mr. Steinert or challenge Dr. Griffith's handling of the case.

The question should be is it okay for our Superintendent to protect his star administrators at the price of due diligence and ethics?

The closed door meetings that the BOE holds are not documented or recorded. There is no way to get any information about what they discuss, even with a FOIA. Logically, if they are meeting on Monday to only discuss whether Steinert should be fired, the meeting should be over in about 1 minute. My guess is that they will spend the majority of their meeting discussing how to cover their collective rears.

Seems to me that we should demand that the meeting be open to a community-selected group of individuals who can honestly & openly report what was discussed.

We should demand that the meeting be held in public.

Thank you Jim. I encourage every interested party to read the redacted report and then look at what knowledge was gleaned off of that report. The fact that Dr. Harry Griffith could present that report as a fair attempt at due diligence is laughable at best. What a joke.

District 67 Board will hold a special meeting Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Lake Forest High School West Campus.

We should all be there, as well as when the city council meets in an executive session at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21.

We deserve transparency, not more cover up.

I'm not saying what was done by Steinert was right. He was punished. The other party involved was NOT a child. He is not a child molester. She was a woman. He sexually harrassed another adult. How would any other major corporation deal with it? The woman was no longer at his place of employment thus no current threat. Parents behaving like this is some kind of pedophile in the school is ridiculous.

I feel that if Dr. Harry Griffith is going to recommend that John Steinert be fired, Dr. Griffith should be fired along with him. Two reasons; either he covered up what had really happened and it is now biting him in the rear, or he is incompetent in running as Superintendent and needs to be replaced. I find it extremely hard to believe that Dr. Griffith did not know the context of the pic(s) that were sent.It seems like this is damage control at its finest. Either they stay or they BOTH go.

Griffith needs to be fired. You have an employee who pleads guilty to a crime of a sexual nature who is responsible for educating and setting examples for our children. You don’t ask what it takes to get the copy that is not blacked out or interview the victim but instead rely solely on an interview with the perpetrator? There has been a lot of talk about the board of education and the superintendent having too close of relationship. We’ll find out now. If the board doesn’t fire him (and take away some of the lavish retirement package) they shouldn’t be representing us I have two children at Deerpath and look at the affect this is having on them – all the talk about sexting, photos of someone’s genitals. School board please does the right thing and fire Dr. Griffith.

Griffith protected a colleague and now got caught in a ridiculous statement that he was not able to access details of the crime . Now let's see if the Board covers for Harry. Is there an attorney or public official that can help instruct on how to hold the Board accountable if they don't do the right thing and terminate both Steinert AND Dr. Griffith?

hey, but at least he got that million dollar brick paved parking lot at the east campus as part of the overly inflated $56 million dollar or so referendum from taxpayers. ahh...it seems the emperor has no clothes....but then again we have some of the best test taking students in illinois.

Mr. Steinert should have been fired 2 years ago. No reasonable person believes he is a pedophile, but sexting a college student who was an intern at the school is inexcusable. He needed to get help and rebuild his life ... just not while serving as principal of DPM. I agree with most of the comments here - Harry Griffith should be fired. And not just for this travesty. Anyone who has been paying attention during his tenure knows that he has surrounded himself with yes-men and yes-women willing to do his bidding (and yes, he actively works to assure the Board of Ed includes a good number of people like this as well). Just look at what happened when an independent sought to run for a seat on the HS BofEd recently. Right at the center of an ugly smear campaign was Harry (a board member of LF Bank and Trust - one of the largest donors to the caucus), gleefully fanning the flames. Now that lives have been ruined and Lake Forest looks like a joke, it's time to clean house.

There appears to be a strong opinion about about Harry and his yes-people and his control over all things LF, why then did you vote them into office? As for any independents and smear, while it is unforunate, it's politics.

I will be closing my account at Lake Forest Bank on Monday and I will cite the Bank's association with Harry Griffith as the reason.

We too will, as Dick Durbin advised,.. respond this banking scheme by walking away from that bank by withdrawing our money...so first thing tomorrow we will make our "run" on that bank...We will then go to the local bookstore to purchase 100 copies of "Throw Them All Out" by Peter Schweizer & drop them off at LFHS where hopefully our school administrators will let the next generation read the lessons of the book.
Moreover, as recent editorials across this nation have advised - too many years in power whether it's coaching, Congress, ceos or school administrators breeds contempt for the little people - the taxpayer - as the entrenched powers act as if the rules that apply to the rest of us - don't apply to them. Penn State & now Lake Forest are glaring examples of this sad lesson.
by Mister Deeds

@Tina- are you suggesting that we rewarding incompetence by allowing him to collect another quarter million in unearned salary?

I would say that if nothing is done to bring Griffith and his incompetence to justice, WE ARE ALL GUILTY of exposing our children--ages 10 to 22--to perverts and corruption! We must show the children that we are here to take care of them and that every action--or non-action--has a consequence! Paying him further would be the equivalent of rewarding him for his corruption!

Jim, can you tell us what the two people who spoke had to say? Thanks.

I'm with Chris; Jim we appreciate your coverage and hope you'll share the details.

On another note, can you confirm that Mr. Steinert was at DPM on Friday AM? According to a student, he returned to school to collect his things, accompanied by police. If this is true, the parties that allowed this to happen should all be terminated. I understand allowing an employee to "clean out their desk" but certainly there were alternatives to having him return to school when students are present...AND with police. That's a great image to burn into the kids minds. Who is running the PR damage control here?

Trib is reporting that Mr. Steinert resigned today. The intent of the special BOE meeting was to discuss firing Steinert. According to the BOE policy manual, when they state the purpose of a special meeting that is all they are allowed to discuss in private. These sessions are audio recorded only, and are not available to the public. After 18 months, these recordings can be destroyed and a summary statement of the meeting is written up. (See Section 2 of the BOE Policy Manual here: http://www.lf67.org/schoolboard/index.html.)

So just what are they discussing for the next hour and a half? This is just another example of the lack of transparency from this superintendent & BOE.

If they are discussing anything less than Harry's resignation effective immediately, they are all facing a recall action tomorrow morning.

there is so much bs going on from the cover up at the LF police dept to the board members steering the recent construction to a favored vendor with family ties.

this is just the tip of the iceberg as absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Lakebyforest

If the board of BOTH district 67 and district 115 dont ask for Griffiths resignation immediately, they will all be in jeopardy themselves!!!! look at what happened at Penn State !!! that Board took action before any action was taken on THEM... That is a lession these two boards should heed!!!! And while they are at it they should fire Dr Griffith for cause , taking away his pension!!!! This incident leaves me sickened as to his behavior!!!!

jim- how could you not expect steinert to resign? he admitted to a very serious activity.

but the real question is, will griffith go? personally, he might but only kicking and screaming.

was it just coincidence of did the head of HR and the other DPM principal left recently have anything to do with this....maybe they didnt want any part of the shennanigans.

@Bonita- it will only die down if we allow it to die down. We need to talk to the lake county board of elections to get the procedures. In most cases it amounts to securing an appropriate number of signatures on a petition. Verifying the signatures and then scheduling an election.

The most shocking part of the story is that this guy makes $170k per year...the community needs to revisit the pay scale of everyone involved in the public education.

The questionable behavior of Harry is not news, we just chose to look the other way while many questionable decisons throughout the love affair between the Board of Ed, Caucus, APT...were rubber stamped. We are all partially responsible for the mess we now have been handed. I hope we begin to care a bit more and start by cleaning house, starting with the top down. It is time to go... he has been such an effective leader, he has lead us to this mess... so please go....now.

Issues that must be raised in or out of court:
-how or was this scandal kept out of the press until now?
-what is the quid pro quo for "Dingy Harry" with his $300,000 a year salary for life to sit on the bank board?
-we know he doesn't need a home loan because the board already paid off his home loan with our money
-what, if any, school or teacher annuity funds have been deposited in that bank?
-is this a matter for a special prosecutor?

there is much more to this story. as lfmom says this has been going on for awhile. someone needs to get the story together and out. think washington post, ny times etc. we need someone to expose this story in the press.

Thanks for reporting.

is it just ironic or is there something behind the fact that the incident was reviewed by the HR dept and the head of HR has left?

Superintendent Griffith also sits on the board of the Lake Forest Bank, which was listed as one of the largest contributors to the Lake Forest Caucus during the last school board election cycle. That money was used to wage a vicious campaign of personal destruction against two independent reform candidates. The Caucus candidates won.

The present school board, who were all sponsored by the Caucus, said tonight that they are considering creating an independent task-force to investigate this issue... and that they will appoint it's members!

Because of the borderline-illegal relationship between Superintendent Griffith and the funneling of money to the supposedly non-partisan Lake Forest Caucus, no member of the Caucus, past or present should be allowed to take part in the task-force. I am not implying that all Caucus members are tainted by this scandal, indeed I know many honorable people who have served, but to insure independence the Caucus needs to be kept out of this process.

For my part... I don't think an independent investigation is necessary. I will be joining those in the community who are looking into recalling the school board members who tonight admitted to knowing about the charges against Principal Steinert, but who participated in the cover-up.

Those members are:
School board President Julia Wold
Jeff Pinderski
Laurie Rose

Vote with your business and with your dollars. Cease doing business with the employers of the BOE members and tell them why you are doing it. These people need to be held accountable for their failure to do the right thing. When it hits them in the pocket, they will re-think their allegiance to the Caucus.

It's too late for a task force; that should have been done two years ago. What the board is telling us is "Stay out of our business- we know what's best for you people." In effect the board is continuing to arrogantly rule over us as they now declare that they will investigate themselves. If we the people can afford to pay Harry and the convicted sexter some $480,000 a year, then we must be able to afford to hire a Dan Webb or Anton Valukas to investigate this scandal and report to the people.

Harry is just stalling to keep his pension. His inaction and failure to investigate is inexcusable. Derelection of duty. grounds for dismissal for cause. Harry's arrogance has finally caught up with him, Keep the pressure on ala Penn State...demand transparency from BOE and City/Police Department. We need an indepedent party to investigate.

Maybe Andy Shaw from A Better Government can help us.

"The Better Government Association promotes reform through investigative journalism, civic engagement and advocacy. We're a watchdog, shining a light on government and holding public officials accountable." http://www.bettergov.org/

For so many years, the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff community has been defined by its qualities in education and safety, but in reading the comments it is clear that both have been called into question by the conduct of our school administrators and police. The misconduct of the school administrators is not surprising, but any claims that the police conspired in a cover up is chilling. We need to restore confidence by having a special prosecutor investigate to hopefully report that the police did not conspire with our school officials in a cover up.

Read the redacted police report. It says right there that it is possible to appeal the redaction by contacting the Mayor. Wasn't done, wasn't even considered. Harry must go!

Thank you, Ima Golfer, Jane and Chris, for your insightful and informative commentaries! Those who choose not to read or share opinions are free to NOT read the comment section of the Patch! As for me, reading these opinions –and most of the other well spoken contributions to this discussion--fortifies my belief that in the end truth, justice and good education will prevail. In the meantime, we await tomorrow’s board meeting…

I am ashamed at the BOE for not making the right decision and demanding Dr Griffiths resignation!!!!

This is disappointing ... more smokescreens and a continued attitude that parents can be fooled into thinking the BOE and administration have this under control. Our kids now have time away from academics today to have "counselor" meetings. They send us pompous emails about how we can "talk to our kids" about Mr. Steinert. (I know exactly how to talk to my kids about this and it isn't about Steinert ... the real lesson is about what happens when you lie for friends who do bad things, make up lame excuses and cover things up instead of doing the right thing.) The last straw is the task force in which the Board and Administration (working together-!- when a BOE is supposed to be a check and balance on the superintendent) are investigating THEMSELVES! And, a call for an independent investigation is met with a reply that we have to wait for the December 12th board meeting. I wish they would finally realize that this BS isn't working with most people anymore.

To all of you who yelled about how out of line the teachers at Lake Forest High School is and how the board should be backed maybe now you know the truth. You are all not told the truth about everything. No one seemed to care about the fact that the administration is paid such high salaries when the potential teachers strike was the big news in Lake Forest. Suddenly some of the same people who talked of how everyone should back the board are eating their words. Wake up. Its called the good old boy network. If anyone needs a pay cut its the boss!!!

Compared to other districts, D67 has always been way too heavy in the administrative area. The ratio of administrators to students has always been disproportionately higher relative to most districts across the country. And administrators who retire are hired back as consultants.

Also, the new articles have said the District Attorney advised D67 not to contact the woman who pressed charges. Since D67's investigation involved the DA, one would think that D67 (Harry and the BOE), could have easily found out that an un-redacted report could have later been procured. At the very least, the D67 attorneys could/should have known and advised this. The way this entire incident has played out underscores the incestuous relationship between the Superintendent and the BOE. The board never questions what he says or asks; they rubber stamp everything. In response to requests that the closed door meetings about Steinert be open, Harry and the BOE will state any discussions regarding personnel issues are private and not subject to FOIA requests. Unfortunately, this is true. However, the community can demand and pursue a thorough investigation, and not by the BOE or the administration. They've already shown quite clearly that they are grossly incapable of investigating themselves.

Griffith needs to go. if he is able to skate the next Seven months until retirement, then collect his hefty pension, we the taxpayers are fools!! It makes me wonder what else has he "swept under the carpet" in the last 20 years!! Shame on him, when it comes down to perverts like Steinert that are around our Children!!, and this guy (Griffith) tried to cover it up!! Lets take a stand and remove him, and set an example that this will NOT be tolerated in OUR schools. Also, the Board needs a second look. I know well enough that they knew what had transpired in 2009 and are just as guilty as Griffith is.

Below are two links. The first is the link to the Directory of Regional Offices of Education and Intermediate Service Centers. It has the contact information for Regional Superintendent Roycealee J. Wood's office, which will conduct an investigation into the actions (or in this case, inaction) of Griffith and the BOE. Everyone who wants Griffith and the three BOE members to resign can send her an e-mail expressing this.

The second link is to the 2011-2012 Lake Country School Directory which has a list of all the schools in Lake County, their enrollment and certified personnel. Notice how many schools have higher enrollments but fewer personnel compared to LF. There are quite a few, even when you compare D67 and D115 to schools with comparable educational experiences such as Stevenson D125 and Deerfield/Highland Park D113, where the ratio of certified personnel to students is 1:12.7 and 1:11.3, respectively, compared to D115's 1:9.7; which underscores how "top heavy" our district is. The same goes for elementary school districts. Lake Bluff D65 (1:10.6), Deerfield D109 (1:11.3), and Highland Park D112 (1:9.7), all have lower personnel per student ratios compared to D67's 1:7.7.

http://www.isbe.net/regionaloffices/pdf/roedirectory.pdf
Roycealee Wood
800 Lancer Lane, Suite E-128
Grayslake, Illinois 60030-2656
website: www.lake.k12.il.us/
Telephone: 847/543-7833
Fax: 847/543-7832

http://www.lake.k12.il.us/roe_sch_dir/docs/LAKE_COUNTY_SCHOOL_DIRECTORY.pdf

It is now clear why Griffith is pitifully clinging to his job. With his reputation now in tatters, he knows that he will never be hired into a lucrative consulting position. The money he milks from the taxpayers of Lake Forest will be the he ever gets until he begins milking the State of IL for his pension.

For Harry, this is all about the money.

Focusing on this issue: an independent commission has been requested (to the Regional District) by the BOE.

Other comments regarding the educational system here in LF: I can guarantee you that we live in THE 1%! And, the current BOE can be credited for much of the improvements and innovations during and since my children finished their time in the district(s). I have family around the USA who are raising children (and grandchildren) and who are teachers and administrators. They are amazed at the opportunities our students have, the breadth and depth of learning and the degree of knowledge with which they graduate. This is just one of the reasons why I remain in LF and continue to pay taxes to support our well-managed schools.

I agree with Ima Golfer. The superior quality of our children's education is based on: quality of teachers, the generous community who devote their time and treasure to enrich the curriculum (APT and LFHS Foundation grants elevate the curriculum by paying for smart boards, state of the art technology, etc.), and our community where families stress the importance of education in their homes. If you take away the thousands of $$$ in donations to our schools, many materials/programs/activities would be reduced or eliminated. Hardly any other community charges for bus service. Other communities across the country with similar demographics and quality of education do not have as many administrators. Yes, the BOE are volunteers who devote their time/talent for the benefit of our children's education, but to give them much of the credit for the amazing opportunities, breadth/depth of learning and knowledge does not give due notice to the teachers and parents who are on the front lines everyday nor the ample donations that continue to fill the gap in budgets which continue to be squeezed.

In addition to the substantial direct financial burden that this community bears in order to support Harry, we can now also add:
- legal fees incurred by the community to force the Board of Education to fulfill their responsibility to terminate Harry for cause;
- legal fees to be incurred by the City in order to defend itself from the citizen's actions;
- a growing distrust that is pitting neighbor against neighbor;
- the reputations and careers of the Board of Education;
- the reputation of the community (we are internationally famous for all of the wrong reasons); and
- the moral fiber of our children. Harry is demonstrating that when you are wrong, you don't stand up and take full responsibility and accept the consequences. Maybe his parents never taught him that honor and integrity are the two most valuable things you can possess.

Well done Harry I hope that you choke on your bloated pension.

Tribune editorial: Harry and the three BOE members "should quit."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-lakeforest-20111122,0,6376701.story

@Shirley - With all due respect, you seem to be suggesting that it is best to just let the fact that Harry was grossly negligent in his investigation of the Steinert affair, He has admitted that serious errors were made. Nonetheless, he has refused to stand up and face the music. As was said last night, at the end of the day, John Steinert is the only one who has acted honorably. He has admitted that he was wrong and he left quietly. On the other hand, Harry has said that he made mistakes but he has no intention of leaving. That is neither honorable..

Healing begins when the disease is purged. While Harry remains to be a cancer within our community, healing cannot begin. The BOE needs to recognize that by not firing Harry immediately they are perpetuating the problem and probably making it worse.

Dearest Shirley - I fear it is you that has not collected their facts. This matter was kept secret as they did not want it in the public domain. Delegation to an "underling" (a very condescending tern) would not absolve the CEO of responsibility. In addition, Harry chose to ignore the advice of counsel on the termination issue and he never even supplied counsel with the redacted report.

opinions are life A$$Hole$, everyone has one... Ima golfer.... I wholeheartedly agree with everything you have said, he needs to go!!

Regarding transparency, I'd like to hear from a member of the D67 school board, namely the Secretary to recall if Harry spoke out negatively prior to the elections regarding any school board candidates in the last election cycle. If our Superintendent was involved in the process of molding the Board's opinion regarding certian candidates and attempting to affect the election's outcome, I'd like to know.