GREENE: Carrollton dismisses online math teacher

By Editor | January 25, 2023 |

By Carmen Ensinger

The Carrollton School District was taken aback when it was notified by a parent that its online math instructor, employed through the third party online instruction employer ELEVATE K-12, had had her teachers licensed revoked in Missouri after being accused of having sexual relations with a student.
Carrollton Superintendent Mark Halwachs sent home a letter to parents dated Jan. 19 stating the following:
“Please be advised that effective immediately, Kristy Sicard, your child’s on-line math teacher, will be permanently replaced with a new on-line instructor. As you are aware, due to the significant teacher shortage in Illinois, the District has been unsuccessful in employing a math teacher. Consequently, the District contracted with ELEVATE K-12 High Quality Life Online Instruction to employ a certified teacher to provide on-line math instruction to our students. The Company will be identifying a new permanent instructor for your child’s online math course and we will notify you of the new instructor as soon as possible.”
Halwach’s said that on Jan. 18, an individual forward the District the following information from the Missouri State Board of Education which stated:
“On Aug. 20, 2018, a judgment was entered against Ms. Sicard in the Circuit Court of Maries County, Missouri, finding her guilty of Felony Assault. As part of the disposition of the criminal charges, Ms. Sicard agreed to surrender her certificate of license to teach. Ms. Sicard signed a statement of surrender waiving all procedural rights regarding revocation of her certificate of license to teach.”
Upon receiving this information, Halwachs said the district took action.
“The District immediately contacted the Company to request a different teacher be assigned to the remote math course until this matter could be investigated,” he said. “We have completed our investigation and have notified the company to permanently replace Ms. Sicard with a new instructor.”
Halwachs said based on his investigation, on March 18, 2018, Sicard was charged with a Class D felony under Section 566.086 RSMo, sexual contact with a student. On Aug. 20, 2018, Sicard plead guilty to a Class F felony under Section 565.054 RSMo, assault in the third degree. As part of Sicard’s guilty plea, she voluntarily surrendered her Missouri teaching license for life.
Halwachs said he did all of the required background checks on Sicard, including the sexual offender database that school districts consult, and none of the above information came up. The above information was found performing a Google search, which will probably become standard operating procedure when performing background checks on future applicants.
“At the time the Company identified Ms. Sicard as the instructor for District students, the Company conducted a criminal records check which did not reflect her criminal conviction in Missouri on Aug. 20, 2018,” Halwachs said. “Moreover, at the time Ms. Sicard started providing on-line instruction to District students, she possessed a valid teaching certificate from the Illinois State Board of Education. Finally, the District also checked the Sex Offender and Murder and Violent Offender Against Youth databases, both of which did not identify Ms. Sicard on those lists.”
As it happens, even Sicard’s employer, ELEVATE K-12, was unaware of Sicard’s criminal history.
“The District and the Company who employed Ms. Sicard was completely unaware she was previously licensed in Missouri, unaware of her criminal conviction in Missouri and unaware she voluntarily surrendered her Missouri teaching license,” Halwachs said. “We have forwarded our information to the Illinois State of Education for appropriate action and we have asked ISBE how Ms. Sicard was able to obtain a teaching license in Illinois after she plead guilty to a Felony in Missouri and, as part of her guilty plea, agreed to surrender her Missouri teaching license for life.
“Finally, we have instructed the Company who provides our online instructors to ensure that it conducts a thorough background check of its licensed employees, including reference checks with former employers. The Company has also been instructed to ensure it conducts a fingerprint criminal background check on all instructors assigned to our District.”
Halwachs said the safety of the students remains the district’s top priority.
“While the proper criminal and records checks were conducted on this Company employee, it is simply inexcusable that the ISBE issued a teaching license to an individual who surrendered her out of state teaching license as part of a criminal plea agreement,” Halwachs said. “We expect the ISBE to address this situation to ensure this does not reoccur in our school district or any other school district in the State of Illinois.”