Parents question District 65’s transparency around employees accused of sexual assault

(Editor’s Note: Please be advised that this article contains descriptions of sexual violence that may be disturbing and distressing.)

Standing before the Evanston-Skokie Consolidated School District 65 Board of Education on Monday, Kelly McCabe recalled how “jarring” it was to learn earlier this month that the assistant principal of Washington Elementary School had been arrested and charged for sex crimes against children.

A D65 parent, she felt “left in the dark” because an Evanston RoundTable report first informed her of the alleged abuse, not the district — and she said have appreciated guidance from the district on age-appropriate talking points. 

“So, early Thursday morning, as I was drinking my coffee I found myself tasked with packing lunches and talking to my 7-year-old and 11-year-old about sexual abuse in an effort to make sure they knew the facts and they weren’t caught off guard in the playground,” McCabe said.

“This situation underscores how unprepared this administration is to communicate effectively, build trust and support a positive school culture,” McCabe said, calling for an independent investigation. 

Chicago police arrested Carlos Mendez, 51, and another D65 employee, Maribel Flores-Hernandez, 34, at Mendez’s Chicago home on Feb. 5 on suspicion of child sexual assault that allegedly involved the “coordination of grooming and coercion”, a judge wrote. 

The two had outstanding warrants from Florida, where some of the sexual abuse allegedly occurred during a June 2025 vacation. Mendez and Flores-Hernandez, then a paraprofessional at Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center in Evanston, were reportedly dating.

D65 Spokesperson Hannah Dillow said the allegations do not involve any current or former district students. According to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the sexual assaults were domestic and involved two juvenile victims.

McCabe and a couple of other parents on Monday signaled their appreciation that the district published a statement last week that clarified Mendez and Flores-Hernandez were placed on leave as soon as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services notified the district, on Oct. 28, 2025, and Jan. 16, 2026, respectively, that each were part of an active investigation. 

The district’s statement said the district did not share more information when it placed the employees on leave out of respect for the DCFS investigation.

District 65 has not responded to multiple questions and messages from The Record, asking for more information about Mendez and Flores-Hernandez.

“Please know that our team remains fully engaged in this matter. As we receive information, we will continue to take appropriate action in accordance with District policy and the law,” Turner said in the statement.

But Sarah Forst, another D65 parent, said on Monday she was still concerned about the timing, asking when the warrant for Mendez’s and Flores-Hernandez’s arrest was first issued and when D65 became aware of it. 

“I understand that we cannot provide perfect safety for students, but the idea that an alleged sex offender was working with toddlers, including my own, even while a warrant was out for her arrest, is deeply concerning and merits a re-examination of policies,” Forst said. 

Notably, the D65 Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday to suspend and dismiss an unnamed administrator.

The board held no discussion before voting to approve the resolution and did not comment on the administrator’s identity. 

The approved resolution was not immediately made public, and Adeela Qureshi, the School Board’s secretary, said The Record’s request for the request would be processed as a Freedom of Information Act request, which can provide municipalities up to 10 business days to provide documents.

The D65 board also held no discussion before voting unanimously on Jan. 26, 2026, to dismiss an educational support staff member.

The Record filed a public-records request for that resolution, as well, but has not received confirmation from the district as to whether or not that dismissed support staff member was Flores-Hernandez.

Mendez started working in D65 in 2011 and became the assistant principal of the Evanston school in 2014, the Roundtable reported. He was previously accused and cleared of inappropriate behavior in 2023.

Flores-Hernandez became a lunchroom supervisor at Washington Elementary in 2021, then a paraprofessional at Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center in 2024, the Roundtable reported.

The timeline shared with the D65 community was signed by Turner and stated that DCFS first notified the district on Oct. 28, 2025, that it was actively investigating Mendez. Mendez was placed on a leave of absence that same day, Turner said. 

DCFS apparently notified the district on Jan. 16, 2026, of its new investigation involving Mendez and Flores-Hernandez, and the paraprofessional reportedly was put on a leave of absence that same day. 

DCFS did not contact D65 before Jan. 16, 2026, about any investigation involving Flores-Hernandez and it is the “District’s understanding that this remains an active and ongoing investigation by DCFS,” Turner wrote. 

Before joining D65, Flores-Hernandez worked at the City of Evanston’s Robert Crown Preschool “Take Two” program from October 2013 to June 2020, said Cynthia Vargas, a communications manager for the city, in an email. 

Flores-Hernandez then became an “inclusion aide” in June 2020 until she resigned from city employment in September 2021. When she was hired, Flores-Hernandez’s background check and DCFS-mandated screening “did not identify any disqualifying findings,” Vargas wrote. 

Mendez’s attorney, John Curnyn, reportedly told the RoundTable that Mendez will fight the charges. He and Juneitha Shambee, an attorney for Flores-Hernandez, did not respond to The Record’s request for comment.

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