27-03-2025
Parents protest plan to promote interim superintendent after sex abuse scandal at Fenton High School
BENSENVILLE, Ill. (WGN) — Fenton High School (FHS) parents are pushing back on a plan to promote an interim superintendent to the full-time role after a sex abuse scandal rocked the northwest suburban community last year.
The saga originally stems from a leaked police report that surfaced on social media last March where a teacher was accused of sexually abusing multiple students at FHS.
Community outrage followed in the form of student and parent protests. After Fenton Community High School District 100 (FCHSD 100) fired the teacher, they revealed the allegations dated back to 2009, leading to a federal Title IX lawsuit. Then-district Superintendent James Ongtengco was placed on leave and eventually fired after the lawsuit was filed.
WGN News is not naming the fired teacher because he has not been charged with a crime.
In the months since, parents have accused the district of trying to cover up the alleged abuse and now, are set to elevate interim Superintendent Samuel Bentsen to be the district's new superintendent. Bentsen served as Fenton High School's principal during the time the allegations took place.
'It seems very challenging to me, based on the leaked police report, that he was unaware of the issues that were occurring with the teacher who allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct with students,' said Chris McCullough, a candidate for FCHSD 100's Board of Education.
McCullough is running for a seat on Fenton's board of education next week.
On Wednesday, he urged the current board to hold off on making any superintendent hiring decisions until the new board is seated, but he is pessimistic at best of that happening.
'It's a foregone conclusion,' McCullough said. ''Our only hope is to have enough public pressure to force the board to reconsider their actions.'
In a statement released to WGN News, FCHSD 100 said Bentsen has distinguished himself as transparent and fair during his time as interim superintendent, saying 'Thanks in large part to his leadership, we are in the midst of an exceptional school year marked by renewed trust, steady progress, and strong, productive relationships across the district.'
FCHSD 100 said they did hire an outside firm to investigate the allegations. The district said they will not be releasing the findings out of concerns over privacy and ongoing litigation, but have and will continue to makes changes based on the investigation's findings.
The Bensenville Police Department did not have an update on their investigation into the incident when WGN News reached out for comment Wednesday afternoon.
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