In a school district rattled by recent federal charges brought against a former Spanish teacher at Niles North High School in Skokie, Niles Township High School District 219 administrators are at last publicly addressing the criminal allegations.
This follows questioning from parents at a recent special meeting as to why a tipster made an allegation against the teacher in 2023 but he was not fired until this year.
Thomas Neal, 42, was suspended and later terminated in recent weeks from his teaching position at the high school after he was charged in federal court in June on allegations he transported child pornography aboard a flight from Mexico to Chicago, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Neal faces one count of transportation of child pornography, a charge punishable by a minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of up to 20 years, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
“We must acknowledge questions raised and concerns that many members of our community have expressed following the recent criminal charges filed against a former district employee,” District 219 Board President Amber Wood wrote to community members July 22.
“Following a comprehensive investigation directed by the Board, we believe it is prudent that we provide the facts as we know them, including a detailed timeline of events.”
Wood wrote that in April 2023, an “anonymous report” regarding Neal was received by the Niles North principal’s office, and at that time, was “immediately forwarded” to the Skokie Police Department.
That report was never communicated to District 219’s superintendent, however, nor the human resources department, Wood confirmed.
In terms of district structure, Niles North is one of the high schools in the district, and its principal and administrators answer to the superintendent, who in turn answers to the publicly-elected members of the Board of Education.
“As a result,” Wood wrote, “neither district-level leadership nor the Board of Education were aware of the anonymous report and thus no district-level review of the anonymous report occurred at that time.”
Skokie police further investigated the 2023 lead, but were unable to substantiate the allegations at the time, Wood wrote.
Federal law enforcement contacted administrators in June to inform them that Neal was the “subject of an active federal criminal investigation,” per Wood’s message.
Upon receiving that information, officials placed Neal on an “indefinite suspension,” voting days later to terminate his employment with the district.
He was then prohibited from accessing any district property, including computers and electronic devices, and from further contact with students, officials said.
“We also believe it is important to clarify that the federal criminal complaint does not allege conduct involving District 219 students, school property, or district technology,” Wood wrote to community members.
“We fully recognize that many families have understandably asked that question in order to understand the pervasiveness of these serious charges.”
Federal prosecutors allege in their court filing that Neal, a Chicago resident, possessed images and videos of child pornography on his cellphone while flying from O’Hare International Airport to Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City on June 17.
Upon arriving in Mexico City, Neal was selected for secondary screening by border authorities, who according to the complaint, observed images on his cell phone that “constituted child pornography.”
Mexican border authorities later confiscated Neal’s phone and luggage, including two laptops and six electronic storage devices, and placed him on a direct flight to Houston, court filings state.
Homeland Security Investigations agents in Houston reviewed Neal’s phone and found “hundreds of files that constituted child pornography,” according to the complaint and previous reports.
Files found on his cellphone by agents include an explicit sexual photo and two videos involving minors that have been saved or created within the last three years, per previous reports.
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“We appreciate the concern our community has shown throughout this difficult situation,” Wood wrote to District 219 community members.
“Because this remains an active criminal matter, there are important legal limitations on what the district can publicly discuss. We are committed to cooperating fully with law enforcement and respecting the integrity of the legal process.”
Parents and district staffers spoke emphatically to the Board at a special meeting held June 29 to express their devastation and fury over the circumstances.
“You called this special meeting to terminate Thomas Neal, whom you’ve employed since 2017,” said Myra Foutris, a parent of three current high school students at the district.
“That individual was recently caught in possession of insanely heinous child pornographic material, the description of which I truly wish I had never read because it will stay in my brain forever.”
Foutris said at the meeting that district leaders need to “account for what [they] knew and when,” if they hope to ever restore a sense of trust in their administration.
“This is an incredibly serious matter and your community expects an explanation,” she said.
“The kids are not ok,” said parent Rachel Van Hoose. “They knew about this before any parent did.”
“2023 to 2026, that’s thousands of hours he was allowed in [the school],” Van Hoose said, shaking her head.
Officials said moving forward, the district will “continue to examine [its] practices and provide ongoing training to ensure that concerns are communicated promptly through the appropriate channels.”
“We are in active conversations with the Skokie Police Department to clarify language on the police department’s protocol to follow up with the District administration on any staff criminal activity and staff misconduct,” Wood wrote.
Neal is currently being held in federal custody pending future court hearings and was indicted by a grand jury July 15, according to federal court records.
Students from Skokie and Lincolnwood and portions of Morton Grove and Niles attend District 219 high schools.