School district quiet about investigation of science teacher

PROPHETSTOWN – A week and a half after Prophetstown High School science teacher David Alborn was questioned about alleged inappropriate communication with an underaged girl, the school district remains reluctant to divulge information not already released by local law enforcement.

Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico School District 3 Superintendent David Rogers said Tuesday that he would neither confirm nor deny that Alborn is the teacher being investigated for possibly illegal conduct, even though police reports name Alborn in an ongoing investigation.

Rogers said Alborn is on paid administrative leave, but would not say why or for how long.

“The district is cooperating fully with law enforcement,” Rogers said. “We do not want to imply that we believe the teacher under investigation is either guilty or innocent of any wrongdoing. I can neither confirm nor deny the teacher’s identity, and I cannot give you an employee’s age or length of employment with the district. That is confidential information.

“We are remaining completely neutral, and hoping, of course, that all of this will blow over,” Rogers said. “Hopefully, it will all come out in the wash and be fine.”

Rogers did say, however, that the district administrative team had taken over and is sharing the responsibilities of athletic director, one of Alborn’s jobs. Rogers said coaching was not part of that job description, and that Alborn is not a coach.

The school board Monday night entered executive session to discuss personnel issues, but no one would say whether Alborn was discussed.

“We talked about a lot of personnel issues,” board member Doug Wetzell said Monday night.

Alborn has not been charged with a crime, but police did confiscate his school computer last week.

An earlier police report stated that Alborn had been under scrutiny since a girl made accusations against him 6 months ago.

Whiteside County Sheriff’s Deputy Andy Henson said this week that the computer had been sent to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to be examined by forensic experts. The results of those findings might not be available for 6 weeks to 6 months, he said.