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INGLESIDE, Ill. (AP) — Several teachers at a suburban Chicago middle school suspected a colleague may have engaged in inappropriate conduct with a student, but failed to report it, a school district official said.
The Daily Herald in Arlington Heights reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/1v5tUCR) District 37 Superintendent John Ahlemeyer told parents in a Sept. 19 letter that investigators indicated three Gavin South Middle School teachers had reason at some point before authorities became involved to report "alleged inappropriate conduct" was engaged in by Michael R. Vucic.
Vucic, 41, faces five counts of predatory sexual assault and five counts of sexual assault. The charges were filed against Vucic, an 18-year teacher at the Ingleside school, for an alleged attack on a girl authorities say was under 13 years old.
Vucic of Lake Forest fled to Europe on Aug. 26, three days before being charged. He is currently in custody in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In a statement, District 37 officials say those teachers who didn't report their suspicions "failed in their professional responsibility."
Teachers are required by state law to call the Illinois Child Abuse Hotline when they have reasonable cause to believe a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be abused or neglected. One teacher has resigned and the other two are on administrative leave, according Ahlemeyer, who didn't name the teachers.
Ahlemeyer's letter assures parents the district "will not hesitate" to take dismissal action against any employee found to have failed to report inappropriate conduct between a teacher and a minor.
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Information from: Daily Herald, http://www.dailyherald.com
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