McHenry County Blog

When you take a speech course, the teacher gives this advice:

• Tell them what you are going to tell them.
• Tell them.
• Tell them what you told them.

In Crystal Lake South High School’s Freshman Josh Brent’s speech, he followed two-thirds of that advice.

The first two-thirds.

“I’m going to bring tears to your eyes,” was his opening line as he stood on the stage of Crystal Lake’s South High School at a St. Baldrick’s Day rally sponsored by the Key Club, a high school version of the Crystal Lake Kiwanis.

The summary was not needed.  Handkerchiefs were.

What’s St. Baldrick’s Day?  Take a look at the web site.

It’s something a couple of New York City advertising folks dreamed up after a discussion that St. Patrick’s Day should be about more than going out and getting drunk.

People shave their heads and end up looking like chemo patients.

They ask people to donate money for kids’ cancer research.

Here’s what’s been done locally:

• McHenry West High School, 65 shavees, $6,222 raised (all figures through mid-day yesterday; you can still contribute here)
• McHenry East High School, 29 shavees, $12,599
• Crystal Lake South High School, 34 shavees, $7,230
• Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club, 90 shavees, $24,366
• Woodstock High School, 40 shavees, $18,071

(McHenry West Assistant Principal Carl Vallianatos says that $45,000 is expected to be raised in McHenry.)

Total raised by the self-described “world’s largest volunteer-driven charity for childhood cancer research?”

Over $100 million raised since its founding in 2000.

But, let’s get back to Josh.

Six years ago this month, Josh was in third grade. He had head aches. When he started watching TV with a hand over his eye, his parents ramped up from the pediatrician to an ophthalmologist (an eye doctor).

Very soon he was off to a hospital, where his family was told that he had a 40% chance of surviving the brain cancer that had been diagnosed.

The Bear Necessities Foundation held a McDonald’s Party for him and some friends. The Make-a-Wish Foundation couldn’t deliver on a wish Josh had regarding the Cubs. His second choice, a swimming pool in the back yard was more lasting, as he said with a broad smile.

The surgeon said that the tumor was wrapped around Josh’s eye. When he touched it, it opened like a the fingers of a closed fist. Not a common occurrence.

The physician told Josh’s parents that it wasn’t his hand operating.

He became known as the “miracle child.”

After Josh’s talk several students had their heads shaved on stage. Many more lined up in “The Pit,” when I returned after school.

Josh was first.

He’s an old hand at this.

Off came the hair, including a little pony tail that he had rubber banded at the middle of the back of his head.

There were two scars.

The first, his father Richard told me, was to relieve the pressure on the brain before the operation to remove the tumor.

The second ran down the back of his head.

Afterward, as I saw upperclasswomen gathered around, I figured out and told him his scars were “chick magnates.” That thought had not occurred to him.

The barbers had lots of fun taking off the teens’ and teachers’ hair.

I had fun showing the boys who had the middle of their heads shaved first what they would look like thirty years from now.

Horns showed up on one boy’s head.

Not to worry, though.

There were wings on the back.

The shavee didn’t accept my suggestion that he go like that to church.

He ended up bald.

So did thirty-three others.

The shaving was not finished until 5:30 and it started after school at three.

Two long-haired girls decided on the spot to donate eight inches of their hair.

Had to get permission from Mom first.

After the snipping, one commented, “I feel lighter already.”

McHenry County Blog asked what had been done with regard to preventing employee thefts after the arrest of the South High School Athletic Director James K. Stuglis,

The cover letter explains that my requests was being granted and denied in part.

“We have redacted information related

• to cash handling practices relative to security measures where publicly revealing such information would jeopardize the effectiveness of the measures or the safety of the personnel who implement them or the public [Section 7(1)(v)], and
• valuable formulae where disclosure could reasonably be expected to produce public loss [Section 7(1) (i)], and
• private information as defined as personal financial information or access codes [Section 7(1)(b) as defined in 7(2)(C-5)].

“The District has withheld additional documents exempt as communications between a public body and an auditor representing the public body that would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and materials prepared or compiled with respect to internal audits of public bodies [Section 7(1)(m)].

Sounds reasonable.

The District Operations Committee, consisting of Randy Davis, Joe Cole, Jeff Carr, Jeff Puma, Steve Dunk, Lorena Gorey and Mark Kovack, held its first meeting on the subject on June 10th.
Cafeteria payments were discussed with emphasis on the Point of Sale payment cards and their potential expansion for use at the bookstore and for prom/dance tickets.

On August 12th the District Leadership Team, composed of Jill Hawk, John Lutsch, Jay Sargeant, Steve Olson, Marsha Potthoff, Paul Humpa, Steve Koch, George DiVenere, Randy Davis, Mark Kovack, and Jeff Puma met. Point of Sale cards were discussed as we allowing students to use cash to buy lunches.

July 27th the following email was sent:

An August 20th Vice Principals meeting discussed cash handling. Procedures you see below were apparently passed out at the meeting, as was the Cash Receipts reporting sheet seen below. (Click to enlarge any image.)

September 9th the Operations Committee met again and discussion is summarized below:

= = = = = =
Here is the answer from District 155 to the question in the comment below:

Thank you for the follow-up question. All four District 155 schools use a double ticket for performances. Because plays and musicals generally use assigned seats, the ticket-takers do not always tear the ticket for performances where the system provides back-up of how many tickets were sold. For general admission events the schools do tear the ticket and use the “audit stub” to get an accurate count.

The following is a press release from the Crystal Lake Police Department:

On October 14th, 2010, at approximately 4:00 p.m., former Crystal Lake South High School
Athletic Director and Varsity Football Coach James K. Stuglis (41), was arrested on 10 counts of felony theft and 3 counts of felony computer fraud.

These charges stemmed from a 6 month investigation by

• the Crystal Lake Police Department,
• the Illinois State Police and
• the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office

in cooperation with school officials from the Community High School District 155.

Crystal Lake Police were first notified by District 155 officials on March 24th, 2010, concerning
an initial allegation of theft of Crystal Lake South High School funds when a large sum of money was found secreted within Stuglis’ office.

As the investigation unfolded the evidence indicated that Stuglis had misappropriated thousands of dollars over several years, which included money collected from a vending machine and a fundraising program that were never accounted for or reported to District 155 officials.

The investigation also revealed that Stuglis withheld money from various athletic playoff games by reporting a lower number of actual spectators in attendance than actually were present. The lower attendance numbers were then reported to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) by electronically filing them via the internet.

Stuglis is alleged to have then exercised unauthorized control over the cash proceeds from ticket sales that were under reported to the IHSA.

James Stuglis resigned from his position as Athletic Director and Head Varsity Football Coach of Crystal Lake South High School in June, 2010. Stuglis, formerly of Crystal Lake, now resides at 21394 Brown Drive, Frankfort, Illinois.

Stuglis surrendered himself voluntarily to police with his attorney, was processed and released from custody after posting 10% of a $40,000 bond. James Stuglis court date is scheduled for October 27, 2010 at 9 AM at the McHenry County Courthouse in Woodstock, IL.

Attached hereto is a copy of the Bill of Indictment regarding this investigation and the subsequent arrest regarding James Stuglis.

Further, it is acknowledged that any person charged with a criminal offense is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

I have been told one or more parents offered District 155 a swimming pool at Prairie Ridge High School.

But the offer was turned down by either the administration or the school board because the decision-making authority did not want one school have a swimming pool while the other three did not.

No big surprise that families living on the north side of Crystal Lake in the vicinity of Prairie Ridge are better off than families attending the other three high schools.

So, I’m not surprised that that one or a couple of parents were able to finance a pool.

The logic of all schools getting a swimming pool or none at all is interesting.

From an egalitarian point of view, I guess it can be defended, but look at the location of Prairie Ridge High School.

It is close enough to Cary-Grove High School that those with Cary addresses near East Crystal Lake Avenue in Lake Kilarney were assigned to Prairie Ridge when it opened.

And, it certainly isn’t a world apart from Crystal Lake Central and Crystal Lake South.

Now, District 155 have a combined swim team that practices at the YMCA.

It would be hard to argue that the team could not easily have beeen transported to Prairie Ridge for practice.

So, that leaves gym class.

Prairie Grove students would have been able to take gym in a pool, while those attending the other high schools wouldn’t have been able to do so.

Inequality of instruction, then.

It is so delightful to have some referee other than circuit court for Freedom of Information request appeals.

I never appealed to circuit court. I figure I’ve spent enough time in McHenry County courtrooms to last a life time during my divorce proceedings. I spent every vacation and personal day for a couple of years there. So much so that I started calling it the “McHenry County Courthouse and Spa.”

Now, a simple email to the Public Access Attorney of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office gets an answer.

The most recent denied request I have appealed concerned Crystal Lake High School District 155′s refusal to provide the names of people currently on leaves of absence and the dates those leaves began.

Amalia Rioja, Chief Deputy Public Access Counselor wrote the following “Determination” April 26th,

“Section 7(1)(c) of FOIA exempts from inspection and copying “[p]ersonal information contained within public records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual subjects of the information.” 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(c).

“The exemption defines “[u]nwarranted invasion of personal privacy” as “the disclosure of information that is highly personaly or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject’s right to privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in obtaining the information.” Id. The disclosure of information that bears upon the duties of public employees, however, “shall not be considered an invasion of personal privacy.” Id.

“The School District’s use of the Section 7(1)(c) exemption with regard to the names of faculty members who are currently on leaves of absence and the dates said leaves began is denied.” (Emphasis in the original.)

“We have determined that the names of public employees who are on a leave of absence and the dates that said leaves of absence began bears on the their public duties and the disclosure of this information would not constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Whether a public employee is currently working or on a leave of absence is information, to which the public has a right to know. Moreover, even if an employee had a right to privacy with regard to this type of information, any such right is outweighed by the public’s legitimate interest in obtaining this information.” (Emphasis in the original.)

“Accordingly, the School District should provide Mr. Skinner with the names of faculty members currently on leaves of absence and the dates upon which any such leaves commenced.”

When the Northwest Herald started running articles about money being missing from some account at South High School, I tried to think of how I might be able to verify some of the elements of the story.

I got a statement from the Crystal Lake Police Department on April 9th.

I sought and received through a Freedom of Information request the email that was sent out to employees (turns out on the night of April 7th.) It was provided and you can see it below:

From: Jill Hawk
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 835 PM
To: D155-AII Email Recipients
Subject: information

Good Evening:

There is likely to be media coverage in the next few days of an incident relating to the management of funds by a staff member at one of our high schools.

At this time, we are not able to share details with you or the public as this is a confidential personnel issue. The situation is still evolving as we investigate.

However, I am mindful that many members of our D155 family will be impacted by what will be brought forward. I know your professionalism will serve the district well as rumors and speculation abound.

I have confidence that we will we work through this together.

Sincere [That's how my copy ends.]

Here is the denial of my leave of absence request from District 155 Freedom of Information Officer Scott Puma to my April 9th request for leave of absence information:

April 15,2010
Mr. Cal Skinner
275 Meridian St.
Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Response to FOIA Request -Community High School District 155

Dear Mr. Skinner:

This letter is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request for Community High School District 155′s (“District”) public statement on the possible theft of money from Crystal Lake South High School and names of any faculty members who are currently on leave of absence and the date(s) such leave(s) of absence began. Your request was received on April 8, 2010, by the District, and is granted in part and it is the District’s intention to deny the request in part as follows.

Your request for the public statement on the possible theft of money from Crystal Lake South High School is granted and included here.

The District intends to deny your request for “the names of any faculty members who are currently on leave of absence and the date(s) such leave(s) of absence began:’ FOIA Section 7(1 )(c) exempts the following:

personal information contained within public records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless the disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual subjects of the information. “Unwarranted invasion of personal privacy” means the disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject’s right to privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in obtaining the information. The disclosure of information that bears on the public duties of public employees and officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal privacy.

Here, I believe that the disclosure of the requested information concerning employees’ leaves of absence would result in a clearly unwarranted invasion of the employees’ personal privacy within the above definition.

Leaves of absence are highly personal events (which do not necessarily involve an expenditure of public funds since many leaves of absence are unpaid) and their disclosure would be objectionable to a reasonable person.

Moreover, the District’s employees have not consented to the disclosure of such information. Finally, though I acknowledge that the public may have a legitimate interest in this information, I believe this interest is outweighed by the employees’ rights to privacy.

For these reasons, I intend to deny a portion of your request under Section 7( 1)(c) of the Freedom of Information Act. Pursuant to Section 9.5(b) of FOIA, I will forward this letter to the Public Access Counselor for her review, for a determination whether any further inquiry is warranted, and for a determination whether the records you have requested are exempt from disclosure pursuant to Section 7(1 )(c).

Please be aware that our response to your request is pursuant to our understanding of your FOIA request. If we have misunderstood your request, please let us know as soon as possible so we may provide the correct information.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The following was received from Deputy Chief Gene Lowery of the Crystal Lake Police Department:

The Crystal lake Police Department was notified by Community High School District 155 of a suspected misappropriation or theft of funds from South High School. 

The police and school district officials are cooperatively investigating the allegations to determine what if any criminal or internal matter is substantiated. 

The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office is also reviewing the ongoing investigation to determine what, if any, prosecution is warranted.

The Democratic Party’s candidate for McHenry County Sheriff, Mike Mahon, had the last booth at the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.

That’s the route Sheriff Keith Nygren, again at the Expo Sunday, as he was Saturday, took to leave the event.

He had some business with the booth next to Mahon’s, then strode out of South High School without looking at his major party challenger.

All I could get was a photo of his back.

You can see Mahon to his left, taking to someone.