Less than three years after being hired as Evanston Township High School’s Director of Special Education, Diona Lewis, is leaving the school under a cloud of controversy at the end of the school year, officials said.
In a heavily redacted letter to Lewis from Feb. 16, obtained by Pioneer Press under the Freedom of Information Act, ETHS Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Scott Bramley told Lewis she was being dismissed at the end of the 2022/2023 academic year for violating a school board policy while hiring new employees, for secretly recording an “investigative interview” with a human resources official in violation of school policies and for altering a transcript of that interview.
That letter came only months after Bramley received complaints regarding Lewis’ actions in September 2022, and Bramley and School Board Attorney Jennifer Dunn interviewed Lewis that October. Lewis was placed on paid administrative leave after that interview, school documents show.
“This letter serves as notice of the conclusion and findings of the District’s investigation into allegations concerning your conduct with respect to accommodations provided to a paraprofessional … as well as notice of the recommendation of you nonrenewal for the upcoming 2022/23 school year,” the Feb. 16 letter states.
It goes on to say that Lewis used her laptop computer to “record surreptitiously” the September 2022 meeting and to create a written verbatim transcript of the meeting “without consent.”
“At no time during the October 3 meeting did you request to record the meeting or otherwise state or provide any notice whatsoever that you were recording the meeting,” the letter says. “Dr. Bramley notified you that you were immediately being placed on administrative leave pending investigation and that you were to have no access to any District email, systems or accounts while on such leave.”
The letter also says that despite being told she was not permitted to access her District 202 email and other accounts, Lewis continued to access those accounts through her personal email accounts while on administrative leave.
“The District has concluded that you violated board policy 5:120 Employee Ethics Conduct; and Conflict of Interest, which provides that ‘All District employees and expected to maintain high standards in their school relationships, to demonstrate integrity and honesty to be considerate and cooperative, and to maintain professional and appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff members and others.'”
“Your actions during the preemployment interview and hiring process … demonstrate poor, questionable judgment and lack the integrity and responsibility expected of a District administrator,” Bramley said in the Feb, 16 letter to Lewis.
Lewis did not respond to requests for an interview, but according to the ETHS website she came to the high school in July of 2020 as the Director of Special Education.
“Her passion is for working with students, families, and instructional leaders to provide the best education possible for every student,” it says. “Dr. Lewis works to construct authentic situations for special education students to use their skills and to adequately prepare for any postsecondary option they choose to pursue. Dr. Lewis is an Evanston native and an ETHS graduate.”
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
