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The St. Ignatius College Prep Scandal By Matt C. Abbott Renew America [Illinois] June 5, 2007 http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/070606 My high school alma mater, St. Ignatius College Prep, is in the news. According to a June 4, 2007 story in the Chicago Sun-Times:
'Even after the allegations were deemed unfounded by police and state investigators — and the student's family asked that the case be dropped — the school balked at reinstating him. They said he could return only if he agreed not to be alone with students while at the school, to tutor students only in public areas and not to talk about the case. He refused — and has spent the semester at his Villa Park home wondering if he'll be allowed back....' The following is an edited version of an e-letter, signed by two of Mr. Connelly's sons, which began circulating among SICP alumni in March 2007:
'I'll presume that you have heard a story about your colleague and my father, Jim Connelly, in regards to his absence from school. To give you a point of reference, Jim has not been allowed back into his classroom since the week following the Entrance Exam. Up until this point, there has only been one side of the story that has been told and only one side that has been heard and that is the side that you heard on the night of Parent-Teacher Conferences. This biased version has been submitted to you as fact, but is conspicuous in its omissions and misleading statements. 'Consider the following: '1. Jim Connelly has been accused by a female student of sexual molestation. This allegedly occurred in a St. Ignatius hallway just preceding the start of the Entrance Exam. This simply did not happen — period. '2. Jim Connelly has never been interviewed by the Chicago Police Department, which conducted an investigation following these accusations. The accuser was interviewed by police and then the accuser's father did not want to pursue the matter and agreed that Jim should be allowed to teach. The investigating officer told Jim not to come in for an interview and that the whole matter was being dropped. '3. Jim Connelly and the student were interviewed by an investigator for DCFS. The result of this investigation was stated as follows in a letter to James Connelly dated March 15, 2007: 'You were previously notified that this Department was investigating a report of suspected child abuse or neglect in fulfillment of its responsibilities under law. After a thorough evaluation, we have determined the report to be 'unfounded.' This means that credible evidence of child abuse or neglect has not been found.' 'Cathy Karl had previously indicated over the phone to Jim that St. Ignatius was waiting for DCFS to send a letter that determined the allegations to be unfounded in order to take appropriate action. The investigation determined the allegation to be 'unfounded.' Regardless of this very important fact, Jim is still not allowed back in his classroom where he belongs. '4. A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors was held during which this situation was discussed. As we all know, there are two sides to every story. Amazingly, Jim Connelly has never had the opportunity to present his side of the story to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee apparently recommended to Fr. Paulson to not allow Jim back to teach next year. They made this decision never hearing Jim's version of the story. John Chandler, a longtime trusted friend of Jim's, is part of that committee. Coincidentally, Mr. Chandler was not invited to be present at this meeting when the decision was made. 'Also attached is a copy of the letter that Fr. Paulson and Cathy Karl gave to Jim's attorney after the recommendation was made by the Executive Committee. Would any of you have signed this? Certainly, Jim Connelly did not. 'Father Paulsen's statement on Parent — Teacher night included, 'Our insurance company told us that there is a clause in our policy which says, in effect, that employees are not insured for subsequent allegations.' That should give every employee pause. An allegation, whether founded or not, appears to be grounds for dismissal to save St. Ignatius' insurance coverage. 'In spite of our appeals and efforts, our insurance company is adamant about not offering to us for Jim going forward in his employment with us because of this allegation.' 'Cathy Karl, Fr. Paulson, and the lawyer for the archdiocese's insurance company met with Jim Connelly's attorney on March 15, 2007. Once again, Jim was not allowed to be present. Following the allegation in January, Jim has been completely compliant with the administration, which is why you are just hearing about this unfounded allegation now, more than two months after the charge was made. The St. Ignatius administration has not allowed Jim to tell any of his friends or colleagues anything about this allegation. Jim complied because he wanted to let the administration complete the investigation of a very serious charge. He trusted St. Ignatius would return him to the classroom once the claim was deemed unfounded. 'For two months, the administration effectively isolated Jim in his time of need. For two months, Jim received no support from friends or colleagues. For two months, he mostly sat uncomfortably at home, waiting for this matter to be resolved. He has been remarkably patient for two months, waiting for St. Ignatius to do the right thing and reinstate him. Sadly, they have not. 'Throughout this ordeal, St. Ignatius has never acted in Jim's best interest. As a result, after two months of keeping quiet and 'isolation,' Jim is now standing up to fight for his name, honor, credibility, and integrity. 'Innocent until proven guilty? It appears not. The almighty dollar over a longtime, well-respected employee? Absolutely — even in the 'esteemed' Catholic institution called St. Ignatius College Prep. 'You will make up your mind as to what you believe happened, but please consider this: Jim Connelly has been a respected teacher at St. Ignatius for 40 years, honorary alumnus of St. Ignatius, Educator of the Year, recipient of St. Ignatius' highest honor, the Dei Gloriam Award, recipient of the Family Exemplar Award from the University of Notre Dame, member of the Illinois track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame, educator of thousands, colleague of many, friend to the lucky, father of 15 surviving children, devoted husband of 48 years, and staunch believer in God, His Holy Catholic Church, and the Catholic way of life. If St. Ignatius can so quickly turn its back on a man with all of these accomplishments, there is a damn good chance they would do the same to you. 'As one of your veteran colleagues so eloquently stated, 'Even Jesus had somebody giving Him a hand on the way to His crucifixion.' 'Sincerely, 'Kevin J. Connelly, '85 'Terence M. Connelly, '91' |
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