District 25 fires nurse under investigation for giving incorrect medication to students

Members of the Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 school board have fired a school nurse who is under investigation for giving incorrect medication to students.

During a special meeting Wednesday evening, the board voted 6-0 to terminate the registered nurse’s employment at Westgate Elementary School for “gross misconduct outside the scope of her employment, multiple unauthorized violations of District 25 policies and procedures, and willful insubordination.” . “, says the board resolution.

The firing comes a little more than two weeks after the nurse was placed on leave when district officials said they were made aware of concerns about her.

Arlington Heights police confirm they have conducted an investigation into the possible misuse of prescription drugs intended for Westgate students. No criminal charges were announced.

School board President Greg Scapillato called the nurse’s actions a “breach of trust” and “disturbing and concerning.”

“The board and administration care deeply about the safety and well-being of our students, families and staff in our community,” Scapillato said in a prepared statement at the meeting. “We do not take the actions we took at today’s meeting lightly.”

Scapillato echoed Superintendent Lori Bein’s comments in her first letter to Westgate families April 23 that the district is working with the Cook County Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education to develop guidelines and oversight for medication use to review and improve students.

Gina DeBoni, an attorney who represents families of children who may have been given the wrong medication, said the dismissal was “well overdue” but an “incomplete response.” DeBoni called for other administration officials to be placed on leave, saying she found evidence in her civil investigation that district officials received reports of missing medications as early as 2022.

“An officer stated that concerns regarding medication administration and missing medications had been documented in the past, and the officer apologized and said he was sorry for breaking parents’ trust in the care of their children,” DeBoni said Chicago law firm Romanucci & Blandin in a prepared statement issued during the board meeting.

The nurse has been employed at Westgate for five years, a spokesperson for the school district confirmed.

Through their lawyers, a family previously said their child suffered health problems after blood tests showed signs of excessive use of aspirin and fentanyl.

Autumn Jenks, one of three parents who spoke at the meeting, said the Westgate families had endured “insurmountable pain and fear” over the past two weeks.

“What was supposed to be a safe place for our children has turned into a building filled with trauma and fear for our children, families and everyone else in the Westgate community,” Jenks told school board members. “The aftereffects of this trauma will reverberate for our children and our families for many years to come.”

Jenks also called for an independent investigation and for those in senior positions at Westgate to be placed on leave.

“These are not just the conscious decisions of a rogue nurse. This is systemic inconsideration and a toxic cultural problem within Westgate Elementary that starts and ends with leadership,” Jenks said.

Bein said the district has conducted “a very extensive” internal investigation and is cooperating with the police investigation.