Monday, November 26, 2012
The 'Chicago Tribune' investigates spending during Harry Griffith's time as superintendent.
The Chicago Tribune reported this weekend on the questionable spending practices implemented by the Lake Forest's District 67 and District 115 school boards. While overseeing the two districts, which share administrators, former superintendent Harry Griffith was among the highest paid public school administrators in the state, with a salary of $362,000 in the 2011-12 school year alone, the Tribune reports. Besides his salary, he also reaped numerous other benefits – the school boards forgave him a $75,000 loan to buy a house, he traveled twice yearly to an educators conference at a resort in California, the district provided a car – as well as gas and maintenance – which they let him keep upon retirement. The Chicago Tribune also reported …
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sends letter to board asking Griffith to be fired; posts online petition for others to join him.
A Lake Forest resident remains vigilant in finding School District 67 Superintendent Harry Griffith culpable over the handling of former Deer Path Middle School Principal John Steinert. Steinert resigned shortly after new information in a Nov. 16 Chicago Tribune article detailed his 2009 conviction for misdemeanor harassment by electronic communication for sexually explicit text messages, voice mails and a lewd photo from his school district-issued cell phone to a 22-year-old Lake Forest College student, who was an intern with the Lake Forest Police Department working at Deer Path. On March 6, Lake Forest resident Michael Beacham e-mailed a copy of a letter sent to District 67 Board of Education president Julia Wold asking that Griffith…
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Board sought to dismiss Steinert after 2009 arrest, but superintendent asked them to reconsider.
An independent investigator hired by School District 67 told Superintendent Harry Griffith that he did not conduct a thorough investigation into the case of former Deer Path Middle School principal John Steinert at Tuesday night’s board meeting in Lake Forest. Before a full room at the district headquarters, attorney Ronald Safer also said the District 67 Board of Education did not direct Griffith to do more after Steinert was arrested for sending sexual and lewd text messages and emails in January 2009. The handling of the Steinert case eventually led to full disclosure in a Nov. 16, 2011 Chicago Tribune article that detailed his conviction for misdemeanor harassment by electronic communication for sexually explicit text messages, voice…
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Supt. Griffith, three board members are subject of report.
At tonight’s (Feb. 28) School District 67 board meeting, attorney Ronald Safer will present his independent investigation report into the handling of former Deer Path Middle School principal John Steinert by Superintendent Harry Griffith and three District 67 school board members, including current board president Julie Wold, plus Jeff Pinderski and Laurie Rose. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. in the Board Room at Lake Forest High School's West Campus. Safer, a former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, was hired by the District in December and asked to investigate three areas: The Board of Education approved Steinert's resignation on Nov. 20 after new information came out Nov. 16 in a Chicago Tribune article detailing Steinert's …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Report will be posted on District website after Feb. 28 meeting, plus video of presentation.
The results of an independent investigation into the handling of former Deer Path Middle School principal John Steinert by Superintendent Harry Griffith and three District 67 school board members will be presented by Ronald Safer at the Feb. 28 meeting, according to Lake Forest School District 67. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. in the Board Room at Lake Forest High School's West Campus. Safer, a former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, was hired by the District in December and asked to investigate three areas: The Board of Education approved Steinert's resignation on Nov. 20 after new information came out Nov. 16 in a Chicago Tribune article detailing Steinert's conviction for misdemeanor harassment by electronic communication …
Friday, January 20, 2012
District 67 will disclose findings at Feb, 28 meeting.
The results of an independent investigation into the handling of former Deer Path Middle School principal John Steinert by Superintendent Harry Griffith and three District 67 school board members has been moved to its Feb. 28 meeting, according to Anne Whipple, director of communications for District 67. The item will not appear on next Tuesday's (Jan. 24) District 67 meeting agenda. The Board of Education approved Steinert's resignation on Nov. 20 after new information came out Nov. 16 in a Chicago Tribune article detailing Steinert's conviction for misdemeanor harassment by electronic communication for sexually explicit text messages, voice mails and a lewd photo from his school district-issued cell phone to a 22-year-old Lake Forest …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Will deliver report to City Council in January.
At Monday night’s City Council meeting, the City of Lake Forest approved the hiring of an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation of possible police misconduct. The action follows the recent release of a Gurnee Police Department report involving an alleged inappropriate conversation held between Student Resource Officer Jeff Sulkin and a Lake Forest Police Department intern in 2008. Attorney Leigh Jeter, with the Rosemont law firm of Clark Baird Smith, LLP, which specializes in labor and employment law, is expected to deliver the findings of her study to the Lake Forest City Council in January 2012. Lake Forest City Attorney Victor Filippini called it "an important step in the process to report and make a determination …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Expect review to be completed within a month and report made to the board.
School District 67 voted unanimously to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Deer Path Middle School principal John Steinert at Tuesday night’s board meeting in Lake Forest. The vote was followed by a second vote by just four board members to appoint an independent counsel, Ronald Safer, a former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, to lead the investigation. The four voting board members were John Julian, Lesley Fisher, Bill Andersen and Rick Schuler, who were not on the school board when Steinert was charged and convicted of misdemeanor harassment by electronic communication for sexually explicit text messages, voice mails and a lewd photo from his school district-issued …
Board, Superintendent Harry Griffith stay silent during Tuesday community meeting.
Michael Beacham and a group of his fellow Lake Forest residents concerned over Superintendent Harry Griffith and District 67 Board of Education’s handling of a Deer Path Middle School principal’s resignation plan to meet Wednesday to interview lawyers to determine their next move. The Board of Education approved Principal John Steinert’s resignation Nov. 20 after new information came out Nov. 17 in a Chicago Tribune article detailing his 2009 conviction of misdemeanor harassment by electronic communication, which included sexually graphic text messages, voicemails and a lewd photo sent to a 22-year-old Lake Forest College student who was an intern with the Lake Forest Police Department. Beacham reached out to parents at the Nov. 21 …
Monday, November 28, 2011
It's been more than a week since the fallout from the resignation of Deer Path Middle School principal John Steinert.
Need to look at a past story on the issue? View Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch's topic page.
Nancy J. Thorner
2:55 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
This is one individual who was extremely pleased when checking out MIchael Beacham 's website. The present Caucus organization has been in existence for many years. It is way past time for voters to have candidates to vote for who are free from any hint of past actions. These actions seem to have called forth all manner of pubic distrust over how candidates were selected in the past and … more ›