District 219 world language teacher Thomas Neal was fired at a special board meeting on June 29 following charges of knowingly transporting child pornography upon traveling to Mexico. Neal was initially suspended by the district when the charges became public on June 26.
Upon arriving to Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City on June 17, Neal was randomly selected for a secondary screening by Mexican border agents where they found child pornography on his phone. Mexican authorities alerted U.S. authorities, and Neal was sent to Houston. In Texas, Homeland Security investigators found several files that contained child pornography.
According to the complaint filed by the United States Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, in 2023, a former romantic partner of Neal reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Neal possessed a two-terabyte hard drive containing child pornographic materials. Moreover, the complaint states that his former partner notified the school district of this hard drive. A footnote on the complaint indicates that the district that was notified was confirmed to be the one where Neal was employed.
After the board’s closed session, D219 Board President Amber Wood read a statement to the public.
“When we became aware of potential misconduct [on June 26] in violation of board policy, we [took] immediate action,” Wood said. “This means that [Neal] was indefinitely placed on suspension and was denied access to all District 219 premises and electronic networks. [Neal] was directed not to contact any students. D219 strictly follows this policy. We’re also aware of the complaint filing that an anonymous tip was made in 2023 regarding this individual. The anonymous call was immediately forwarded to the Skokie police.”
Several D219 parents attended the special board meeting and made public comments. Niles West parent Myra Foutris appeared before the board requesting more information about what the district did with the information shared in 2023.
“When you are informed that there is an individual like this in the midst of children, whose care has been entrusted to you, I certainly hope you did more than just call the Skokie Police,” Foutris said. “If it is in fact true that Neal’s former boyfriend reported his pedophilia to you, which you’ve admitted this evening… and the district failed to act to immediately remove him, your community will hold you to account. All of you need to account for what you knew and when… This is an incredibly serious matter, and your community expects an explanation.”
West parent Lisa Khabeer shared her frustration in a public comment.
“We have to protect our students, we have to protect our staff and we have to listen to people,” Khabeer said. “While this was reported to the police in 2023, there was no follow up. You had a predator, a pedophile in your school. Our children were at risk, and there was no follow up. I just don’t understand.”
Rachel VanHoose believes students should be provided resources in light of these events.
“I’m not trying to single anyone out here, but there’s a failing at so many levels,” VanHoose said. “The kids really do need to hear something from you to make them feel safe. Provide them some resources, tell them to talk to someone if they need to. They do not feel safe.”
This is a developing story.
