Darien Teacher Fired After She Says She Suffered Illnesses

DARIEN, IL — A teacher at Lakeview Junior High School in Darien has been fired, following months in which she suffered many medical problems, she says.

Jennifer Davis, who was in her third year as a special education teacher, told Patch in an email that she started the school year taking family medical leave because of her health issues.

She said she was assumed to have been faking her illnesses, but she said that was not the case.

In June, Davis said, she had a fecal transplant at the Mayo Clinic because of an infection. She said she has been diagnosed with vasculitis and multiple sclerosis.

"I do not have any sick days left, and they dock me every time I have an infusion or (see a) doctor," Davis said. "I am putting my life on the line with COVID every time I step in the building to help kids and Center Cass 66 seems to not care about staff."

Andrew Wise, superintendent of Center Cass District 66, declined to comment specifically on the situation, saying the district does not discuss employees' performance.

"Ms. Davis has been evaluated by certified evaluators since arriving at District 66, and they have provided Ms Davis detailed and continual feedback on her performance," Wise said in an email.

Davis, whose salary is about $70,000, is considered a non-tenured, probationary teacher. She released her performance evaluations to Patch.

Last fall, Davis' evaluation shows she "needs improvement" in planning and preparation, instruction and professional responsibilities. Meanwhile, she got a "proficient" rating in classroom environment.

In the evaluation, an administrator wrote, "Establishing a classroom environment that is strong in social emotional learning is a strength for Ms. Davis. She works hard to build that positive relationship and truly learns her students' needs, likes and areas for improvement."

In the area of professional responsibilities, the administrator noted Davis' goal was to make sure to listen to her colleagues' opinions and that if she disagrees, she would preface it with "I respect your opinion, but..."

"It is obvious that Ms. Davis put forth effort to improve upon relationships with her colleagues," the administrator wrote. "However, minimal progress has been made. At times, Ms. Davis has avoided engaging with colleagues as her strategy to improve relationships."

In spring 2019, Davis was rated "proficient" in three categories and "excellent" in another.

Last week, a GoFundMe page was created for Davis. Andrea Schaal of Yorkville organized the campaign. Fifteen years ago, she said, Davis helped her.

"I lived in the same condominium building, but we had never formally met," Schaal said on the GoFundMe page. "She saw me struggling to carry up endless loads of flooring to my top floor unit. She met me in the stairwell, introduced herself, and spent the next few hours helping me make the trek up and down five flights of stairs. She has been my treasured friend since that summer day."

As of Monday morning, $5,050 had been raised from 34 donors.

At its Feb. 9 meeting, the school board approved Davis' termination, set for the end of the school year.

In response to a public records request, the district provided no documents showing the reasoning for its decision.