Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog
A Fairfield, IL, gym teacher has been terminated on the heels of allegations that she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student. The teacher, 29 year old Haven A. Kirkpatrick of Carmi, IL, was a tenured physical education teacher at Fairfield Community High School. According to reports, the teacher is accused of having unlawful sexual contact with a student at the High School. She has been suspended with pay since her arrest in July on eight felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A circuit court judge found probable cause to bind Kirkpatrick over to trial on the sexual abuse charges in February. A pre-trial hearing on the felony sexual abuse charges has been set for May 11th at the Wayne County Circuit Court. The accused teacher is facing three to seven years in prison on each of the eight counts.
The Fairfield Community High School Board voted unanimously to fire the tenured teacher on Tuesday night at a specially called meeting. The meeting was reportedly called after Illinois DCFS released its findings relative to the abuse allegations. DCFS officials in Chicago have confirmed that an official sexual abuse finding was made in February and that Kirkpatrick has been placed on an internal sex offender registry list. The list is accessible to schools and other organizations that hire individuals that are in direct contact with young children. Kirkpatrick still has the right to request a hearing through the State Board of Education.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse, you should contact a lawyer immediately to investigate the matter and protect your rights. To speak with an Illinois sexual abuse victims’ rights lawyer, please click here.