MATTOON, Ill. - As if the Mattoon-area and Coles County schools hadn't already been plagued with problems (as most schools in the nation actually are these days), now, they've got another one to deal with.
That'd be charges against Hilary Rawlings, 35, a woman hired two years ago in Mattoon as a substitute school nurse (whatever that is) over charges of Criminal Sexual Assault, allegedly committed last month with a 15-year-old boy.
Published reports don't indicate that the contact with boy was committed through her position at the school or the boy's position as a student.
However, they do seem to indicate that Rawlings was in a "position of supervision or authority over" the boy at the time of the alleged acts, which is a step in the law that's a bit more egregious than basic criminal sexual assault, and indicates that the alleged perp took advantage of an alleged victim by way of a supervisory, trust or authority position over him...which would stand to reason if it's pertaining to the school.
However, it's been noted that each of the alleged sex acts occurred at Rawlings' home.
While the charges were filed yesterday, of course they're not available electronically because it's Coles County (they have a tendency to lag in getting things online) so we don't have the exact charges nor the felony levels.
But the matter gets a bit more disturbing when it's been reported that the victim is a "family member" of Rawlings'.
Rawlings has three children of her own; she's been ordered no-contact with children who aren't hers, but how this alleged victim is related hasn't been made clear.
Coles County schools, the kids that attend them and some of the employees in them have had a hard way to go these past couple of years. You can read about other incidents (some of them having to do with sex with children, some of them just embarrassing for other reasons) here, here, here, here and here. A number of disgusted parents have contacted Disclosure over the years wondering just what can be done, as their complaints and concerns have fallen on deaf ears...and apparently, continue to do so.