URBANA - The Unit 5 school district denied Tuesday that it intentionally misled Urbana school officials about the teaching record of a former Unit 5 teacher now serving 60 years in prison for sexual abuse of 10 students. | White's teacher experience form (PDF)

Jon White, a former teacher at Brigham Elementary School in Bloomington and Normal's Colene Hoose Elementary, pleaded guilty last year to sexually abusing eight students at an Urbana school and two at Hoose. White, now 28, was sentenced in Champaign County to 48 years and an additional 12 years in the McLean County case.

In one of several civil complaints pending against White, Unit 5, and five current and past administrators, victims contend that false employment records were submitted to Urbana to cover up knowledge of White's abuse of students in McLean County.

'Verification of Teaching Experience' form

James Kearns, the attorney representing Unit 5, said dates on a "Verification of Teaching Experience" reflected an agreement that called for White's resignation from his teaching post. White left his classroom in April 2005 after a parent complained that White was following her fifth-grade daughter around the school and giving the child photos of an actress.

"The dates represent exactly when the agreement was reached with White," said Kearns. Although White was replaced in April, his agreement with Unit 5 was effective through May 27, said Kearns.

The school lawyer also noted that the request to verify the teacher's record came two weeks after White was hired in Urbana.

Ellen Bullock, the attorney for several of White's victims, has asked a federal judge to consider the work record she recently received from the Urbana district. Bullock contends that White was removed from his Unit 5 classroom for 35 days during the 2004-05 school term as discipline for sexual harassment of students and that information should have been disclosed to Urbana.

Bullock's lawsuit on behalf of an Urbana student identified as Jane Doe 2 accuses Unit 5 of concealing White's sexual harassment, failing to investigate parental complaints and failing to report suspected abuse. The severance agreement came with a letter of reference and was made to conceal White's abuse of students, Bullock argued.

"What decision by a school district could be more inadequate as to child safety than 'passing' a pedophile to a neighboring school district?" Bullock asks in her arguments.

In its response to the lawsuit seeking $1 million, Unit 5 stated that the district had no control over White's actions once he was hired in August 2005 to teach at Urbana's Thomas Paine Elementary School.

A federal judge is expected to rule in the next several weeks on a magistrate's recommendation that the claims against Unit 5 be dismissed. The families of several Urbana students have settled with the Champaign County school district resulting in dismissal of claims against the district.