Schools

New Trier Removes Teacher From School Pending Misconduct Investigation

School officials notified parents Monday evening of the allegations against German teacher Daniela Rossmann.

New Trier High School officials suspended a German language teacher from teaching while the administration and other agencies investigate allegations of misconduct.

The district notified parents Monday evening through e-mail that Daniela Rossmann, a full-time teacher at the Winnetka campus, has not been teaching classes since last week.

The school is not releasing any more information about the allegations at this time, according to the e-mail from Linda Yonke, District 203 superintendent.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The District 203 Board of Education will hold a special meeting Wednesday morning. According to the agenda, the board will discuss personnel issues in closed session and there will be no opportunity for public comment.

Patrick Kreis, interim chief of Winnetka police, said the department is not conducting an investigation.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Daniel Rissman, a 2010 New Trier graduate who attends the College of William and Mary, said he was Rossmann's student for three years.

"Frau Rossman and I had a warm but professional relationship," Rissman wrote in a Facebook message to Winnetka-Glencoe Patch. "In my experience, she typically always had a positive relationship with her students. She took great interest in the success of her students inside and outside of the classroom. These allegations are very out of character for her.

"I truly do not believe that these allegations are true, but rather that they are the result of an immature rumor."

Yonke did not immediately return a call requesting comment. The phone number for Rossmann listed on the New Trier website is not working.

The full text of the e-mail is below. Check Patch for more updates.

Dear Parents:

Last week, New Trier received allegations of misconduct by one of the school’s faculty members, German teacher Daniela Rossmann. On the day that these allegations were reported to school officials, New Trier removed Ms. Rossmann from her teaching duties pending the outcome of an investigation; the proper authorities were notified as well, and the investigation is ongoing.  Ms. Rossmann has taught German at New Trier since 2003, and has been working full-time at the Winnetka Campus.

At this time, providing further details would jeopardize the investigation. We take this matter very seriously, and we are committed to providing a safe environment for all of our students. We understand that you may have questions and concerns. Please be assured that we will provide additional information when we can.

We are prepared to help students who may want to talk about this issue. A team of counselors from our Social Work Department will be available for students who need any support throughout the week. Social Workers also will be present in Ms. Rossmann’s classes on Tuesday and as needed.  Please feel free to contact me (847.784.6109) or the Winnetka Campus Principal Dr. Tim Dohrer (847.784.2200). 

Sincerely,

Dr. Linda Yonke

Superintendent

—Emily Ferber contributed to this story.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here