Westchester School District sued after former teacher Dawn Chester was accused of sexually assaulting student

WESTCHESTER, Ill. (WLS) — A new lawsuit has been filed against the Westchester School District after a former teacher was accused of sexually assaulting a student more than two decades ago.

Last summer, Dawn Chester was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse. She was placed on administrative leave from Berkley School District 87 at that time.

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Attorneys for the victim allege that the Westchester School District failed to take proper action to prevent Chester from teaching at another school in 2000 after she resigned over the allegations.

“Those in positions of authority could have prevented this, could have stopped this, could have limited this, and they didn’t. There is now an obligation to make our client healthy,” said attorney David Rashid.

The civil complaint alleges that Chester began writing letters to the girl, then 11 years old, in 1998 and that inappropriate contact continued for two years.

The science teacher and volleyball coach allegedly touched the student inappropriately several times.

“My client was sexually assaulted in the science lab, in the classroom and in the gym,” Rashid said.

The complaint further alleges that the girl’s mother found the letters and brought them to the school, but the school did not contact police or the Department of Children and Family Services at the time.

More than 20 years later, last June, the victim discovered through social media that Chester worked as a teacher at Northlake Middle School and immediately reported her to police.

Lawyers believe Chester may have more victims and are asking anyone to come forward.

The plaintiff did not want to be identified but shared a statement saying, in part: “I am coming forward with my story now, as painful as it is to share and relive, because I believe I can make a difference by holding the abuser and those who allowed this to happen accountable.”

The superintendent of Berkeley School District 87 told ABC7 that Chester was placed on indefinite administrative leave when they learned of the criminal charges and that there have been no complaints about her during her 20 years as a science teacher there.

The superintendent of Westchester School District 92.5 would not comment on pending litigation.

Meanwhile, the Westchester School District released a statement saying: “While we are aware of the lawsuit, the district does not comment on pending litigation to respect the legal process and the privacy of those involved.”

Last summer, after authorities announced charges against Chester, the school district released a statement saying:

Today, the District was contacted by the Westchester Police Department and informed of the arrest of Dawn Chester, who worked as a science teacher at Westchester Middle School from 1993 to 2000. See the Police Department’s statement on this matter here. The District In late June of this year, police were first contacted and informed that a former student had reported that she had been sexually abused as a grade 6 to 7 student more than twenty years ago when Ms. Chester (originally hired as Mrs. Anderson and later known as Mrs. Lach) was her teacher and volleyball coach.

“There were no current Westchester 92.5 administrators employed by the district at the time. A review of Ms. Chester’s personnel file indicates that the district was made aware of written notes and email communications between the former teacher and student in 2000 .Our records confirm that the district worked with the family to address their concerns, ultimately resulting in Ms. Chester’s resignation in 2000.

“The district has fully cooperated with the Westchester Police Department in their investigation of this matter. This included providing copies of the notes and emails between the former teacher and the student that they received as part of the family’s original report to the district in 2000.

“Despite the fact that these allegations relate to a report of incidents from more than twenty years ago, we felt it was important to communicate directly with our families and staff about this matter. Furthermore, we would like to emphasize that Westchester 92.5 is committed to protecting and ensuring the safety of our learning community and the well-being of our students. As part of our pre-employment process, we conduct an employment history review, criminal background checks, and cross-checks with federal and state sex offender databases. Additionally, all faculty and staff participate in annual mandatory training regarding the parameters of appropriate conduct with students , as well as other topics related to maintaining a safe school environment. Each year, all district teachers and staff acknowledge in writing their acknowledgment of their obligation to report suspicions or knowledge of abuse or neglect of a student.

“There is no record of Westchester 92.5 being contacted by a potential employer of, or providing an employment reference for, Ms. Chester. The current Illinois School Code provides additional protections that require a school district to report to the State Superintendent of Education and the appropriate regional superintendent of schools any teacher who there is reasonable cause to believe has committed an intentional act of abuse or neglect reports, or an act of sexual misconduct, involving a minor child, which resulted in the teacher’s dismissal from the school district. Such reporting may result in the revocation of a teaching license. In 2000, no such requirement existed.”