A Previous Investigation, Dismissal and Parent Outcry: The latest on Niles North teacher facing federal charges

A recently dismissed Skokie high school teacher who was arrested in June with alleged child sexual abuse material was investigated three years ago for a similar crime, according to local officials.

In April 2023, Skokie police said in a statement, a Niles Township High School District 219 administrator forwarded to police an anonymous voicemail that alleged Niles North High School teacher Thomas Neal possessed child sexual-abuse material.

Investigators identified and contacted the source of the voicemail, but the caller was “unwilling to provide a sworn statement before a judge for the purposes of obtaining a search warrant,” said Sgt. Brandi Shelton, a spokesperson for the police department, in an email.

She said that Skokie police interviewed Neal and searched his cellphone, but were “unable to substantiate the allegations.”

Officers reportedly then contacted the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, but without any charges, could not publicly identify Neal was under investigation.

Following the unsuccessful 2023 police investigation, Neal continued teaching for three years in District 219 until the D219 Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday, June 29, to dismiss Neal. D219 board members Celia Stennett and David Ko were absent from the vote. 

The vote came a week after federal authorities charged Neal with transporting child sexual-abuse material. He was detained in Mexico on June 17 and Homeland Security agents observed “hundreds of files that constitute child pornography” on his phone, according to the U.S. State’s Attorney’s Office. 

Addressing the board meeting’s audience June 29, Board President Amber Wood said she was “only able to speak briefly” on the “active investigation,” but D219 has a “very robust hiring process that includes background checks and protocols for employment.”

“When we became aware of potential misconduct, a violation of board policy, we take immediate action,” she said. “This means that the employee named in this criminal complaint was indefinitely placed on suspension and was denied access to all District 219 premises and electronic networks.”

The district also directed Neal not to contact any students, Wood said, and noted that he had no summer assignments. Takumi Iseda, D219’s director of communications, said in an emailed statement that the district became aware of the federal complaint against Neal on June 25 — 12 days after his detainment in Mexico.

Wood also acknowledged that the federal complaint states that D219 received an anonymous tip about Neal in 2023. Wood, as authorities corroborated, said the anonymous call “was immediately forwarded to Skokie police.” 

Parents demand answers

Several D219 parents addressed the board on June 29, saying they wanted to hear more about what the district did after receiving the 2023 tip and they hoped the district did more than pass the information on to Skokie police.

“All of you need to account for what you knew and when,” said Myra Foutris, a D219 parent. “And those of you who were here when the report was made, especially those of you who came after if you’ve learned of this and failed to take action in the ensuing period, you need to account for that as well.

“This is an incredibly serious matter, and your community expects an explanation. That explanation needs to be forthcoming and it better be a hell of a lot more detailed than what was provided this evening.”

Another parent, Rachel Van Hoose, said from what she’s heard so far, the district did not do enough in 2023.

“I am shocked that the superintendent came up and spoke to us off the cuff and told us that as soon as they got the report it was given to the police,” Van Hoose said, referencing Superintendent Thomas Moore telling the audience before the June 29 meeting that the district contacted Skokie police in 2023. 

“I would expect to hear we investigated it to the bottom of his soul.” 

The Skokie Police Department noted in their statement to The Record that Neal is a Chicago resident, leading Skokie police to contacting the Cook County Internet Crimes Against Task Force in 2023 and “provid(ing) it with all relevant information to support further investigation.”

The Cook County task force “has specialized resources and works closely with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children,” the Skokie Police Department said. 

The federal complaint states that the individual who accused Neal in 2023 identified themself as a “former romantic partner” of Neal’s in a separate tip to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that same year. 

The tip the individual left with the nonprofit stated Neal kept a “two-terabyte hard drive of child pornography with him on a regular basis,” according to the federal complaint. 

The Record reached out to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in an attempt to reach its Internet Crimes Against Task Force but has not received a response by publication time.

Wood finished her statement during the June 29 meeting by stating district administrators “continue to follow appropriate steps swiftly and in cooperation with authorities.”

“Our students and family can be confident of this board’s commitment to the safety and well being of every single student,” Wood said. 

“There is nothing more important than keeping our schools safe and having the trust of our students to do so. When any individual violates this trust, we will do everything in our power to bring back the sanctity of the educational environment.”

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