Amid mounting criticism from parents, the Evanston/Skokie District 65 School Board voted unanimously at a Feb. 23 meeting to approve a “Resolution Regarding the Suspension and Dismissal of an Administrator,” but failed to acknowledge whether the dismissal concerned Carlos Mendez, 51, an assistant principal at Washington Elementary School, who is currently detained in Cook County custody on charges of child sexual abuse.
The resolution in question was notably not included in the Board’s agenda packet for the meeting, nor would Board President Pat Anderson comment on identifying which administrator was dismissed.
Several Washington Elementary parents attended the meeting to air grievances about what they described as the district’s mishandling of the allegations.
“I cannot tell you how jarring it was to see sexual abuse mentioned in conjunction with our beloved Washington Elementary,” said Kelly McCabe, who identified herself as the parent of a second and fifth grader at the elementary school.
“We waited for any form of communication from the district. We received only a brief email from our principal stating that no District 65 students were involved. We were left in the dark, unsure of how to discuss this with their children,” McCabe said.
“Crisis communication was lacking, and that is just one example of how this district has failed to prioritize families and students in these critical events.”
McCabe added that parents are demanding a “comprehensive investigation” into how Board leadership would work to ensure future student safety and take accountability for a lack of transparency surrounding the allegations.
“If not outright malfeasance, there seems to be a culture where concerns were not raised or heard. This culture must change to demonstrate accountability,” McCabe said.
Carlos M. Mendez, the former Washington assistant principal, was arrested by Chicago police at his home on the 7800 block of West Addison Street in Chicago on Feb. 5, the Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press earlier reported, along with his girlfriend, Maribel Flores-Hernandez, 34, a paraprofessional at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center. Both Mendez and Flores-Hernandez were District 65 employees.
According to Illinois State’s Attorney’s Office documents, Mendez was arrested and charged with one felony count of aggravated criminal sex abuse of a child and one misdemeanor count of domestic battery and bodily harm. Mendez also has an arrest warrant out in the state of Florida for the sexual assault of a child.
Flores-Hernandez was arrested at Mendez’s home and charged with one felony count of sexual assault of a family member under 18. An arrest warrant from the state of Florida has also been issued for Flores-Hernandez on criminal charges for sexual assault.
Prosecutors allege Mendez and Flores-Hernandez acted together in the sexual abuse of two family members over a two-year period. A Cook County state’s attorney’s office proffer document also alleges Mendez abused an additional child.
District 65 Spokesperson Hannah Dillow confirmed to the Pioneer Press that both Mendez and Flores-Hernandez were placed on leave prior to their arrests (Mendez since Oct. 28, 2025 and Flores-Hernandez since Jan. 16.).
Mendez has been a District 65 employee since 2011, but was formerly placed on leave back in 2023 after being accused of “inappropriate behavior” by a Washington Elementary School parent. Following an investigation by the district, Mendez was cleared of all charges, later suggesting at a March 2023 Board meeting that the allegations were a personal attack and racially motivated.
On Feb. 23, Jaime Hupke, a parent of two students at Washington Elementary, told the Board,“These allegations are really disturbing. It’s just been awful for all the families.”
Hupke later told the Pioneer Press she felt the school had failed to provide her family with comfort or reassurance during this time and forced her to initiate a conversation with her children about whether or not they have ever experienced abuse at school.
“We had to have the uncomfortable discussion about whether they were alone with him and why it was really important to feel comfortable to tell us even if someone told them not to,” she said.
Sarah Forest, who identified herself as a parent of two children at Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, also addressed the lack of clarity provided to parents surrounding the timeline of events of Flores-Hernandez’s dismissal.
“Given that both Mendez and Flores-Hernandez had outstanding warrants for sexual abuse of a minor in Florida from June 2025 by the time of their arrest here in Illinois, I am very concerned that these individuals were still working with children when there was a warrant out for their arrests,” Forest said.
“I understand that [the district] cannot provide perfect safety for students, but the idea that an alleged sex offender is working with toddlers, including my own, even while a warrant was out for her arrest, is deeply concerning and merits a re-examination of policies.”
District 65 Board members declined to comment on either of the employees’ child abuse allegations.
Mendez and Flores-Hernandez were scheduled to have a court appearance on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago. They are both being held in Cook County Jail, according to Cook County sheriff’s office records.
An arrest does not constitute a conviction.
