Lake County Gazette

May 24, 2021 

To the Citizens of Lake Forest: 

My name is Ian Alexander, and I am a partner at the law firm of Goldberg & Goldberg in Chicago. I have been retained, along with my partners, to represent the seven former Lake Forest High School students who filed two federal lawsuits against Lake Forest High School, District 115, David Miller, and Cynthia Martin on Friday, May 21, 2021. I also represent other former LFHS students who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse that occurred at LFHS, but who have decided not to file suit against the school, the district, Martin and/or Miller. 

On May 23, 2021, the administration sent an email to the LFHS community expressing the school board’s belief that there is nothing more important than maintaining a safe learning environment for LFHS students. We agree with this sentiment and want the community to know that the goal of this legal action is to protect the community – not only from sexual predators like David Miller and Cindy Martin – but also from the culture of secrecy and lies that allowed sexual predators to exist in your midst, and at your children’s school, for more than thirty years. 

It is not controversial to stand with the seven brave plaintiffs who filed these lawsuits and demand accountability from LFHS and the school district. The fact that some of this monstrous behavior happened more than thirty years ago is no excuse for failing to act today. It is long past time for a reckoning on behalf of all survivors who experienced childhood sexual abuse at the hands of Miller and Martin and have suffered for these many years. 

Last year, long before any lawsuits were filed, the survivors asked the school board for an independent and transparent investigation of the allegations. After that “investigation,” they were given a report white-washing Miller’s abuse, ignoring the allegations against Martin and concluding that LFHS and District 115 acted appropriately in the face of this abuse. The survivors were hopeful that the school board would act as a partner in the search for truth. The federal lawsuits filed Friday are necessary to finally hold LFHS and the school board accountable. It is not too late for the school board to take decisive action, join with the victims, and create a new paradigm for truth, transparency, and accountability. The past has taught us that change will not happen unless stakeholders in the community, like you, stand up and demand that the school board take action to right the wrongs of the  past and move to a place of healing. On behalf of my clients, please join us in demanding nothing short of the truth from Lake Forest High School. 

Very truly yours, 

GOLDBERG & GOLDBERG 

/s Ian R. Alexander 

Ian R. Alexander