The original version of this story said the District 115 School Board held the vote on Mr. Brock’s dismissal. It has been corrected to say District 67. The Forest Scout apologizes for the error.
The Lake Forest community was in shock after learning the District 67 School Board unanimously voted Nov. 14 to fire popular Deer Path math teacher Mr. Paul Brock after an investigation found that he was involved in a “sexual grooming relationship” while at another school district years ago.
Many of Brock’s former students say he was a teacher they could count on.
“He was the teacher you could talk to about anything… a teacher I could always count on and use as a resource whenever I needed help,” senior Rachel Silvers said.
Some students interviewed said they were reflecting on their time with Brock and trying to grasp the information they were learning. Silvers said her memories are not ruined after finding out about the accusations against Brock, but she feels “sad” for her younger self, who had so much fun in his classes.
Brock had been teaching at Deer Path since 2010. He was put on leave earlier this school year, pending the investigation.
Superintendent Matthew Montgomery wrote in an email to parents, students, and staff saying Brock was terminated due to three different “charges.” The first was “misrepresenting his employment history in the course of the application process with District 67,” which means Brock failed to add this allegation to his application. The others were “personal and sexual grooming relationship with a middle schooler while at another district” and “misrepresenting his relationship with the student in the prior school district and not being forthright during the investigation.”
Chief Communications Officer for Lake Forest Schools Melissa Oakley said that “to date, we have not received any complaints regarding Mr. Brock in District 115.”
With the news of Brock surfacing, his students reflected on some happy memories, including ‘Gator Ball’ (a game involving math and sports), tennis matches, basketball games, pizza parties, and extra credit opportunities.
Junior Maeve Farrell says she still remembers the class scrambling in excitement to answer questions in hopes that they could win the Gator game. Senior Sara Khater also reflects on classes before tests when their class would play ‘Gator Ball’ – days filled with excitement and anticipation.
Sophomore John White, a former student of Brock, shared that his fondest memory was “playing games all the time.” He adds that Brock’s class was “very interactive, so it was easier to learn…I have a lot of good memories from his class. I never would have expected this from him.”
“Mr. Brock was considered such a good teacher because of his creative ways of teaching, humor, and support,” said Farrell.
Upon learning about Brock’s firing, White said the situation is “crazy,” and “something he never thought would happen.”
“I remember his class, and it was super fun, but I think it’s weird he decided to hide it and not own up to it. I don’t want my view to change. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt,” said Khater.
Before this information was brought to the public, Brock was put on administrative leave for roughly a month while the situation was investigated. Oakley said a “community member” was the one to alert the district.
Oakley said Brock passed all required background checks, including fingerprint background checks that provide reports of criminal offenses from the Illinois State Police and the FBI. The background check also includes the Sex Offenders, Murderers, and Violent Offenders Against Youth databases. Because the background check showed no history of criminal charges, there were no red flags raised about Brock’s past to the district.
New legislation, known as Faith’s Law, came into effect in Illinois on July 1. The law requires applicants who are seeking employment that has direct involvement with students to authorize an employment review with current and former employers. This helps districts determine whether or not the applicant has previously been the subject of sexual misconduct allegations. The law also requires the applicants to self-disclose the information.
Oakley said that the Board of Education “advocated strongly for this legislation.”
Anyone with knowledge of misconduct, past or present, should email [email protected]. Students at Lake Forest High School can also use the Confidential Reporting Tool. The Text for Help crisis hotline is also available at 844-823-5323 (community code: LAKECO).
