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	Chicago School Is Sued in Teacher Sex Abuse Case Tribune reporter August 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-snap-21-aug21,0,4417278.story Suit says school knew about female teacher preying on male student Officials at a college prep school on Chicago's West Side knew of a teacher's repeated sexual contact with a male student but "turned a blind eye" and failed to protect him, a lawsuit alleged Thursday. The suit filed on behalf of the student alleged that Chicago Hope Academy math teacher Kathryn Vail-Wesley admitted to other faculty that she had "intimate and/or sexual feelings" toward the boy, then 17. The student also discussed Vail-Wesley's interest in him with at least one faculty member, said the suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court. Vail-Wesley is awaiting trial on five counts of criminal sexual assault. She has since resigned from the school. The suit alleged that the school "permitted a culture where teachers were physically affectionate with students" and students regularly socialized at the homes of teachers. It also charged that school staff acted in a "coercive and retaliatory" manner toward the boy, forcing him to withdraw or face expulsion. "This kid was suicidal because of losing what he thought was a relationship," said Marc Pearlman, the teenager's lawyer. "Did anyone have any regard for the emotional well-being of this 17-year-old? This lawsuit would not have been filed if they had dealt with it differently." A school representative did not return a call seeking comment on the lawsuit. Contact: kmack@tribune.com
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