March 11--More than two months after removing a high school French teacher from the classroom, Chicago Public Schools administrators have yet to reveal publicly whether the man, who left an earlier job in the wake of a texting controversy, was properly vetted before being hired.
Paul Weil started working at Benito Juarez Community Academy in August, about 2 1/2 years after resigning from Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. A Stevenson student had told police that Weil had him sent unwelcome text messages he found "awkward and creepy."
Weil, who told police he thought the messages were "friendly banter," was not charged with a crime. He left the school and later lined up an administrative job with Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, though that fell through when parents protested after learning of his departure from Stevenson.
A letter to parents from Westlake's principal reported that Weil was coming to Austin from the Chicago High School for the Arts, another CPS school. CPS officials have not responded to a Tribune request, made in December and repeated in February, for Weil's work history with the district.
When the Tribune reported about Weil's job at Juarez Academy in late December, spokesman Bill McCaffrey said Weil would be removed from the classroom and placed on administrative duty until the district could determine whether "proper protocols were followed" when he was hired.
On Tuesday, McCaffrey said in a statement that Weil's employment status will be determined by the CPS Board of Education at its March 25 meeting.
Weil declined to comment.
jkeilman@tribpub.com
