The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office is aiming to keep a teacher detained pretrial after she allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with a student. Natalie Martinez has the story.
The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office is aiming to keep a teacher detained pretrial after she allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with a student.
That teacher at Downers Grove South High School has been placed on paid administrative leave after she was arrested during a traffic stop Sunday.
Prosecutors allege that she engaged in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student and sent him explicit text messages, which the teen’s mother found on his phone. The mother and student then went to Downers Grove police over the weekend.
After a warrant was issued, the teacher was detained following a traffic stop Sunday.
The teacher denies having sex with the student, and is accusing him of stalking and blackmailing her, according to court filings.
Administrators briefly spoke on the subject during a school board meeting on Monday.
“This morning, we learned that a DGS teacher was arrested and detained by law enforcement yesterday afternoon,” Don Renner, president of the district, said in a statement. “We are heartbroken for the victim, and hundreds of students and staff and family that trusted this teacher and feel betrayed by this situation.”
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Administrators said they have contacted families whose students have been in direct contact with the teacher during her tenure at the school.
According to the district, 30-year-old Christina Formella taught in the special services department since the 2020-21 school year. She also has served as a member of the coaching staff for the girls and boys soccer teams since 2021.
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According to prosecutors, the teacher allegedly assaulted the then-15-year-old student in a classroom in 2023, and has sent him explicit text messages following that incident. She was also his soccer coach when he was a freshman, according to officials.
Now, Formella faces multiple felony charges, and the DuPage County State’s Attorney had sought to detain her pretrial due to the text messages. A judge has ruled that she is not to be allowed inside the school, or to have contact with anyone under the age of 18.
