Huntley High School security aide quits amid conflicts
McHenry County IL March 5 2020 A Huntley High School security aide and athletic coach who said he resigned rather than face termination for trying to defuse a chaotic incident in the school cafeteria has received support from thousands of people in the community who want him to be rehired.
Chong “John” Woo said the incident took place on Feb. 21 at the McHenry County school. Accounts presented by Woo and by the mother of one of the two boys involved offer varying details.
Woo, 52, was cited for a battery under a Huntley municipal ordinance. Police Chief Michael Klunk said the mother of one of the boys sought the charges but later said she no longer wanted to pursue them. On Wednesday night, the parents of the boy said they never wanted Woo charged. Woo on Wednesday still was listed in the McHenry County computer as having a court date on March 23 at which he must still appear, Klunk said.
Huntley Community School District 158 said it cannot release details of the incident or of Woo’s departure. But amid a groundswell of support for Woo, the district issued a statement saying it was “troubled by the tenor of some conversations” and asked that people “refrain from assigning blame” in the matter.
The district’s school board is scheduled to meet Thursday night. A spokeswoman for the union that represents Woo, and also wants him rehired, says the matter will be reviewed by the school board in closed session, but a district spokesman would not confirm or deny that.
Woo supporters — both parents and students — are expected to attend the meeting. They have already launched a campaign to bring him back.
One mother made pins that say “Woo” and “I support Coach Woo.” They are being sold for $5, $4 of which will go to Woo to help him make up lost wages. A Huntley business is selling T-shirts for $15, $10 of which will go to Woo.
Woo said the support has been “overwhelming.”
“It’s been incredible,” said Woo, who along with working security was an assistant coach of the football and girls’ track teams. “I could not, did not imagine the outcry. It’s heartfelt. It’s really been amazing. I wish I could tell everyone how much I love them.”
The support also includes two petitions circulated by students and parents asking that Woo be given his job back. As of Wednesday morning, the online petitions had more than 8,300 signatures.
In its statement, the district said it is legally barred from publicly sharing any information about such “sensitive situations” involving students.
The statement also said: “We regret that the circumstances regarding Mr. Woo’s decision to resign have become a matter of public speculation and discord. … We are troubled by the tenor of some conversations that have occurred online regarding this matter. … We ask that individuals engaged in conversations about this matter to refrain from assigning blame, assuming negative intent to others, and engaging in rumors. We are in the business of educating children. They are learning from the adults around them at all times, in and out of school, on- and offline.”
Woo said the situation began when two boys were standing on chairs in the cafeteria chanting “fight, fight” and fist-pumping in the direction of two groups of students who were arguing.
Fearing a complete melee, Woo called for backup and walked toward the two boys, he said. The two boys got off the chairs, and he put his hands on their shoulders and escorted them out of the cafeteria, he said. The incident was captured on a security camera, he said.
Woo said one of the boys claimed that Woo had actually grabbed him by the hood of his sweatshirt, pulled him off the chair and choked him. Woo adamantly denies that happened.
According to the police complaint, Woo “knowingly made physical contact of an insulting nature with (the student) in that he grabbed (the student’s) sweatshirt and pushed him out of a room.”
Woo said although he did not do what he is accused of, he said there is a “no-touch” policy in the district. He admitted to putting his hands on the students’ shoulders and that is why — being under the threat of having a termination on his record — he chose to resign.
But Dan Armstrong, director of communications for the school district, said the district does not have a “no-touch” policy. Employees are allowed to use “reasonable force” in certain instances when warranted, such as when one’s safety is at risk. But employees first should seek to resolve such matters verbally.
However, the mother of one of the boys involved has taken issue with Woo’s version. She said Woo “used poor judgment” and is not being honest. She claims she saw the video and said it shows Woo grabbing “both boys by their shirt collars, chest and shoulder area and hoodies and pulled them through the cafeteria.”
“My son tripped on chairs and was choked as a result of this,” the mother wrote in an email to the Tribune. “This was witnessed by school administrators who told him to let the boys go. He did not listen to this and continued to pull the boys for a bit longer.”
On Feb. 24, Huntley police issued Woo an ordinance violation for battery, noted in court documents as a petty offense.
The school district has not sought any charges.
“We continue to cooperate with all efforts of public safety agencies,” said Armstrong,. “However, the district never sought criminal charges in this matter,”
Tammy Fabis, president of the Huntley Educational Professional Support Staff Union, which is representing Woo, said the union is “hoping we can come to an amicable resolution.”
