Parents claimed he called some of their children "White trailer trash."
RESIGNATIONS Apr 13, 2007 - Sandridge Elementary Principal Leroy Coleman and science teacher Janet Lofton both resigned after someone mailed a 2½-hour disk of the two of them having sex in his office.
The camera that captured the scenes appeared to have been hidden without Coleman’s knowledge. A second woman, also a teacher, appeared on the video. Investigators are trying to track down the person who recorded the sessions, a police source said. Parents were outraged.
Apr 16, 2007 - Coleman apologized to the children at Sandridge Elementary School and his wife of 30 years. CURIOUSLY, School board president Cheryl Ward has speculated the DVD’s release was timed to affect the school board election Tuesday.
June 17 - The School Board has recommended Coleman's and Lofton's education credentials be suspended or revoked due to unprofessional conduct. Two June dates were offered for a hearing. Coleman's lawyer asked for a 30-day extension. Lofton did not respond.
The regional superintendent can suspend certificates up to one year. And even if certificates are suspended, educators have a right to appeal to the State Teacher Certification Board.
UPDATE August 3 - Inside Edition was scheduled to air a story on Coleman. Three incumbent School Board members were defeated in the April 17 election.
HEARING Nov 30 - Coleman is scheduled for a hearing today regarding the possible suspension of his education credentials. The hearing will be held at the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education in Westchester. Superintendent Harry Reynolds and an ethics officer will ultimately recommend to Flowers whether Coleman's teaching and administrative certificates should be suspended for up to one year. The hearing will not be open to the public.
The district also is suing Coleman for his pay between December and May, and the Illinois Teachers Retirement System for more than $100,000 in early retirement penalties charged to the district after Coleman opted for early retirement.That lawsuit accuses Coleman of breach of duty and breach of contract when he had sex with subordinate employees during the school day.
APPEALING TO THE STATE Dec 20 - The school district is asking the state Superintendent of Education to revoke Coleman's license. They want the state to conduct a public hearing and revoke, or in the alternative, suspend for five years Coleman's administrative and teaching certificates.
School board attorney: "We think because of Dr. Coleman's actions, (his certificates) should be revoked. We asked (the regional superintendent) to do it, and he did nothing," [Alan M.] Mullins said. "We don't care who does it, we just want someone to do it." The district refused to participate in a closed door hearing.
TT - For a look at how Regional Superintendents operate in Illinois, see "Superintendents become de facto investigators," an investigation by Scott Reeder of the Small Newspaper Group. The Regional Superintendents are, get this, -- former teachers and administrators -- with absolutely no training in investigation who end up doing very little.
Of those 70 regional offices of education, only 24 have taken any action in the last decade.In a decade.
Of the 24 regional offices of education that have taken any disciplinary action, about eight took discretionary action for a noncriminal offense such as immorality or unprofessional conduct.
