Assistant principal of D65’s Washington Elementary charged with sexual abuse of child

The assistant principal of an elementary school in Evanston-Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65, who had previously been accused and cleared of inappropriate behavior, was arrested last week and charged with sexually abusing a child, as first reported by the Evanston RoundTable.

Chicago police on Thursday, Feb. 5, arrested Carlos Mendez, 51, a former principal of Bessie Rhodes school in Skokie who reportedly has been on a leave of absence from Washington Elementary since Oct. 29, 2025.

Mendez was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child, domestic battery and being a fugitive from justice with an out-of-state warrant.

D65 spokesperson Hannah Dillow provided the RoundTable with a statement saying that the allegations against Mendez do not involve any District 65 students.

“Carlos Mendez has been on a leave of absence from his position with the District since October 28, 2025,” the statement read. “It is the District’s understanding that the allegations in question are unrelated to his professional responsibilities and do not involve any District 65 students. The safety and wellbeing of our community remains our highest priority. While these allegations are deeply concerning, this is a personnel matter and we are unable to share additional details at this time.”

It is unclear by press time if any of the charges are related. The Record’s requests for more information to local authorities, including the county state’s attorney’s office, were not immediately returned.

Further details around the alleged sexual assault, including how the alleged victim was connected to Mendez, were not immediately provided. The sexual-abuse charge only identifies the victim as older than 5 years of age.

D65 notified Washington parents in October that Mendez would be on leave from his role at the school but reportedly did not give parents further details.

In District 65

According to a 2013 profile on Mendez by the Daily Northwestern, he was born in Cuba and came to Chicago via Miami around 2003. He taught in the city for five years before arriving at Evanston’s Haven Middle School. Mendez became principal of D65’s Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School, a school in Skokie which will close before next school year, in 2013, and shifted to assistant principal at Washington Elementary.

Mendez was previously assigned to a leave of absence in 2023 when Washington Elementary School parent made accusing him of inappropriate behavior and reported him to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services that year.

D65 and the Illinois State Board of Education, though, never disclosed the specifics of the parent’s allegations. Local and state authorities investigated allegations, and Mendez was cleared of the accusations.

D65’s then-Chief of Schools Lydia Turner said in an email that she reviewed evidence from the alleged incident and “the video footage confirms that this allegation is false,” Evanston Now reported in 2023.

Mendez reportedly told the D65 board on March 20, 2023, that “unfortunately, based on false information,” an email was sent to the district by a parent who “decided to attack me and accuse me of something that is not true.”

A number of teachers, staff members and PTA representatives expressed support of Mendez during a public board meeting, with some describing the allegations as racist slander, the RoundTable reported.

Mendez’s photo and information listing him as the assistant principal at Washington Elementary was still online as of Wednesday morning.

Mendez is being held without bond and is expected to appear in court Feb. 25.

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