McLean County Times

A McLean County Times Freedom of Information Act has yielded the Heyworth Police Department report regarding the incident leading to the removal of Heyworth Junior High teacher Sarah Bonner.

Bonner was removed from her position as an English teacher at Heyworth Community Unit School District 4 Bonner after parents of students called the police after she introduced her class to sexually themed books.

Among the collection of books she suggested for children in her class that were seized by police include: 



“This Book is Gay” by James Dawson.

“Trans + Love, Sex, Romance & being You” by Kathryn Gonzales MBA & Karen Rayne, PHD

“Camp, Putting the Out in the Great Outdoors” by L.C. Rosen

“Friday I'm in Love, One Party Can Change Your Life” by Camryn Garrett

“Cold, A Boy-a murder, a girl, a secret” by Mariko Tamaki

“The Minus One Club” by Kekla Magoon

Nine parents and family members called the police to report Bonner introducing pornography to their children.  

The report was filed March 23, 2023 with the Heyworth Police Department and the location given was 308 W. Cleveland Street, Heyworth, or Heyworth Junior/Senior High School.

Filing the report were:

• Eric Edmund McGrew, 41, of McLean

• Niki McGrew, no age given, of McLean

• Jeffrey Warren Klawitter, 43, of Heyworth

• Meagan R. Klawitter, 42, of Heyworth

• Jay C. Laesch, 43, of Heyworth

• Jennifer M. Laesch, 43, of Heyworth

Suspects listed were:

• Former Heyworth teacher Sarah Ann Bonner, 41, of Bloomington

• Heyworth CUSD 4 Superintendent Lisa M. Taylor, 48, of Heyworth

• Heyworth Junior/Senior H.S. Principal April Carter Hicklin, 51, of Heyworth

Bonner was investigated by the police after multiple contacts.

“I wanted to give them a smattering of fiction and nonfiction to choose from on a day that we call ‘Reading Monday," Bonner told TODAY. "We just read and celebrate books.”’

“By Friday, I was told that parents had filed a police report against me for child endangerment.”

Read the police report below or by clicking HERE.

Reporting CHIEF MICHAEL GEREITS - HYPD, ID #!  

March 23, 2023

“On Friday, March 17, 2023, at approximately 1:30 p.m. I was notified to contact Meagan Klawitter

I called her and she stated that she would like to speak to me at Village Hall in regards to a book that a teacher had provided 8th grade students that she believed was not age appropriate.

I then went to Village Hall and met with Meagan who stated that some other parents would like to speak with me as well and that they were outside. She stressed that they were not there to file a complaint but they wanted to speak to me to see if I could provide them with direction. I invited them to come into the Heyworth Village Hall Board Room, where we all sat down.

The parents present were identified as Jeff and Meagan Klawitter, Eric and Niki McGrew along with Jay and Jennifer Laesch. Also present in the room was Officer J. Sprinkle of the Heyworth Police Department. It should be noted that I was somewhat familiar with the incident because it had been blowing up on various forms of social media such as Facebook.

All parents stated that they have children that are in the 8th grade and all are 14 years of age. They state that an 8th grade English teacher, Sarah Bonner had a "book tasting" assignment in which students were to look at various books that were set out on a table with various titles for the kids to look at a choose a book to read. One of the books in question was titled "This Book Is Gay" written by James Dawson. All of the parents present were very concerned about the contents of this particular book which caught the attention of their children in the classroom.

The parents believed the contents to be pornographic in nature and definitely not age appropriate for their children.

One of the chapters in the book "Part One: Boy on Boy Sex, had a hand drawn illustration of a male naked body with arrows pointing to the various body parts with an explanation of the physical pleasures of various touches. In their minds, they believed that the teacher, Sarah Bonner was pushing off her ideas of gays and transgenders onto students when those conversations are for the parents to have with their children, not an 8th-grade English teacher.

Jeff Klawitter believed that Sarah was possibly guilty of "child grooming". All parents have since explored the book in question, and there were topics such as oral sex, anal sex and golden showers along with other very sensitive topics.

Niki McGrew stated that they believed the school was "dropping the ball" and were not reacting to this as they should. They believed that the teacher should be suspended immediately and possibly terminated. I told the parents that I had been in contact with the school since the beginning, when this was being put out on social media. I explained that the school had a policy to follow and once they were made aware of the incident and the book in question, it was immediately removed from the classroom for review. I also explained that the teacher had the legal right to representation from the union or legal counsel and that they can't just go question her without allowing her time to consult with her representative.

I explained to all parents present, that I would contact them early the next week and they told me that they had decided to pull their children from that teacher's particular English class.

All parents departed Village Hall after having an approximately 30-minute meeting with me.

************************************************************************************************

After meeting with the parents, I then contacted the Principal, April Hicklin and informed her of my meeting stating that I was now officially looking into the allegations made by the parents and that I was proceeding with a fact-finding investigation to determine whether or not a crime was actually committed. April stated to me that since there is an investigation taking place by our Police Department that Sarah Bonner was going to be placed on Administrative Leave with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Supplemental Reporting CHIEF MICHAEL GEREITS - HYPD, ID #!  

March 23, 2023

On Monday morning March 20, 2023, I made contact with Superintendent Lisa Taylor and Principal April Hicklin at Heyworth High School Unit Office, regarding the investigation.

I was informed that a meeting was held on Friday, March 17, 2023, between April Hicklin, Sarah Bonner and a Union Representative. There were a number of questions asked regarding the assignment and the book in question.

It should be noted that Sarah Bonner was compelled to cooperate and answer questions as part of the Administrative fact-finding meeting.

I was told that Sarah Bonner had been placed on Administrative Leave and that Sarah recognizes, that due to the reactions of people on social media including parents of her students, it is unlikely that she would be able to continue teaching here in Heyworth. She mentioned to April Hicklin that she believed it would be in her best interest for them to reach some sort of "separation agreement". I was informed by Hicklin that would be a School Board decision.

Lisa Taylor did provide me with a document titled, "Bonner Allegations - Summary of Events”.

This document was a timeline from the beginning, when the school became aware of the allegations and continued through March 20th, 2023 (See separate document attached to the original report).

I was also provided with a printout of emails that had taken place between Niki McGrew (the parent of one of the students) and Sarah Bonner regarding the book. Also printed out and provided to me were the emails between Niki McGrew and Lisa Taylor.

It should also be noted that I took possession of a large bag of books that had been set out in the classroom for the "Book Tasting" activity. There were a total of 52 books that I took possession of with the school's permission.

Those books were later transported to the Heyworth Police Department for review.

In an email from Niki McGrew to teacher Sarah Bonner on Wednesday, March 15th at 9:25 a.m. Niki wrote:

"I was texted by my daughter yesterday regarding books that were offered and provided to them for reading class. I would like to know if this was provided from the school library or brought into the school for class?" "These are 8th-grade children and this has no place in our school. Why are there works promoting and teaching about sexual orientation and sexual pleasure?" "There were several books like this available about gay and transgender and this isn't something acceptable for my kids to be learning about at school.”

Sarah Bonner responded at 10:30 a.m. once she saw the email and she also copied April Hicklin and Lisa Taylor on her response. Sarah wrote:

"Hi Niki,

Thank you very much for contacting me directly about your questions and concerns. As I'm sure you probably heard this week, our kids participated in a "book tasting" or an activity that brought a huge collection of books into our classroom to explore and sample. In order to build this book list, I used sites like the American Library Association (ALA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and even book blogs like The Nerdy Book Club to help cultivate a list of chart-topping and award-winning titles. There were over 100 books students could choose to explore that day. Please note that there was no agenda to this experience besides providing access to books from these contemporary young adult reading lists. I will be returning these books to the local libraries at the end of the week.”

"As a parent myself, I, too, am interested in what my son picks to read and I can understand your contact. I hope this message provides more insight and understanding. I've included Ms. Hicklin and Dr. Taylor in this message in case you have further concerns. Additionally, I'm happy to meet in person to both listen and discuss this further.

Lastly, I appreciate your time to contact me and your ongoing support of our classroom.

"Warm regards,

Sarah”

This same morning (Wednesday, March 15th, 2023), Niki McGrew sent an email to Dr. Taylor at 9:24 a.m.,

She sent the following:

"Monday my daughter came home and informed me about some books in her reading class that she felt were inappropriate. Yesterday she took a picture of one of the books offered and provided it for their reading assignment.

She immediately texted me from class. There were numerous books like this about gay and transgender sex. Very graphic. She was unaware if this particular book came from the school library or the teacher's personal library.

Either way, this is wildly unacceptable to have in our schools. I understand there are gay and transgender kids that attend their school and that is perfectly fine. But our 13-14 yr. old children don't need to be groomed by their teacher or school on sexual orientation and sexual pleasure. I have reached out to the teacher directly and am waiting on a response.”

"Niki McGrew”

Dr. Lisa Taylor replied to Niki McGrew at 10:03 a.m. (March 15, 2023)

"Good Morning,”

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The first time I was made aware of this concern was through local media this morning. At this time, I have confirmed this book is not part of our school library collection and will look further into this today. Administration will meet with those involved, review the instructional materials accessible by students, and follow up with parents once we have finished our investigation.”

Dr. Lisa Taylor

Niki McGrew replied to Dr. Lisa Taylor at 10:10 a.m. (March 15, 2023)

"I wasn't aware of the media post until this morning. Someone had shared from a personal account and was in contact with my husband. I wasn't aware until after the fact. My daughter did send me a video from the class this morning of the stack of books still sitting in the classroom. I have yet to hear back from Ms. Bonner but assuming she is busy with class. I appreciate your attention to the matter.”

Dr. Lisa Taylor replied to Niki McGrew at 10:23 a.m. (March 15, 2023)

"She is teaching right now, however, she should get back to you later today. Please encourage your daughter to notify an administrator in situations like this so we can conduct a thorough investigation. We will review the curriculum and materials in question; we would have begun that process earlier if we had known.”

Niki McGrew replied to Dr. Lisa Taylor at 10:26 a.m. (March 15, 2023)

"We did discuss that with her. She first mentioned this Monday but we weren't sure of the context and material do didn't want to speak too soon. Then yesterday she provided me with the pictures and today the video. I will make sure she notifies someone right away if anything in the future comes up.”

*************************************************************************************************

It should be noted that no parents made contact with Heyworth Jr. High School Administration, nor the teacher Sarah Bonner prior to Wednesday morning March 15th. The assignment took place on Monday, March 13th in which there were many books set out on tables for a "book tasting". Students were instructed to venture around the room to the different books, read the covers, look at pictures and experience different titles. Choose a book for reading Monday in which they would have 20 minutes to read or browse through the book. There was no follow up assignment other than reading it for 20 minutes.

According to the document titled, "Bonner Allegations-Summary of Events", on Wednesday (March 17th) at approximately

9:30 a.m., after receiving the correspondence from McGrew and Cities 92.9, Dr. Taylor directed Principal April Hicklin to go to Bonner's classroom and retrieve the book in question, which was titled "This Book is Gay" by James Dawson.

At 12:45 p.m. Principal Hicklin met with Bonner on an unrelated subject one that had already been planned regarding the 2023-2024 schedule. The only thing mentioned was that they were scheduling a fact-finding meeting and the purpose of the meeting.

At 1:30 p.m. Sarah Bonner went home sick from work.

At 6:00 p.m. there was a School Board Meeting that had been scheduled and that a number of parents showed up for after this subject had blown up on social media.

By 9:00 p.m. all books were removed from the classroom.

Thursday, March 16th Sarah Bonner used sick leave and did not show up for work.

Principal Hicklin at 8:20 a.m. obtained permission to interview Niki McGrew's daughter regarding the incident.

There were several parents also notifying the school that they were not comfortable with their children being in Sarah Bonner's classroom.

On March 17th, 22 students in attendance scheduled for Bonner's class did not attend her classroom. An alternative was provided to them so they did not have to attend although Bonner was not teaching.

Sarah was placed on Administrative Leave pending investigation by police.

Supplemental Reporting CHIEF MICHAEL GERIETS - HYPD, ID #3

04/25/2023

Interview Jeffrey W. Klawitter II. and his wife Megan R. Klawitter

On 03/21/23 at approximately 10:30 a.m. I met with Jeffrey Klawitter and his wife Meagan Klawitter regarding the incident in which their child J. was a student in Sarah Bonners English class.

I was informed that J did not actually see the contents of the book. He did however see the outside of the book, title etc.. And overheard other students talking about the book. Jeffrey Klawitter and his wife were not told anything by their son until after they had seen the social media posts and they questioned J. about it.

Jeffrey believes that the teacher knew the contents of that book and stated that she had a history in that classroom of pushing an agenda on the students. He stated that it was awful coincidental that the teacher, just days prior had an assignment of books being banned from schools. He states that this particular book "This Book is Gay" is actually #13 on a list of books banned and removed from many Junior High, High School and Colleges throughout the United States based on its sexual content. He cited a CBS News article to support his opinion.

He very strongly believed that Sarah Bonner planned this indoctrination of the students being fully aware of the context of this particular book and accused her of child grooming.

When I advised them that the next step would be for us to schedule an interview for their son, however, due to his age we would have the interview conducted by the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) and that there was a possibility that in the future if this went to court, all may be subject to testify in a court proceeding. Both Jeffrey and his wife stated that they wished to provide this information however they did not wish to be criminal complainants. They did not want J to have to go through any interviews.

They also advised me that they had been in contact with the other two parents and they did not believe any of them were wanting to follow through with any criminal complaint either.

I thanked them for their cooperation and advised them that my report would still be forwarded to the McLean

County States Attorney's Officer for review.

Supplemental Reporting CHIEF MICHAEL GERIETS- hard, 1

April 25, 2023

On March 21, 2023, I telephoned Niki McGrew at approximately 8:30 a.m. I explained to her what the next steps would be which would include scheduling a CAC (Child Advocacy Center) interview for her minor child. Niki stated that she and her husband do not wish to pursue any formal charges. Niki stated that they were just trying to bring this to the attention of the school and that she didn't even want the teacher to be fired over this.

Niki went on to say that on that Monday (March 15th) her daughter and son had told her about a book that their teacher had put out on the table and told their parents that kids were talking about the contents of the book. She said they explained that the book "This Book is Gay" was pretty bad. Nikki said she instructed her kid to take pictures or video of the book because she didn't know if they were exaggerating.

Her daughter then sent her pictures of the book and Nikki said she was shocked. She said that she put something on her personal Facebook and then some people were making negative comments about her putting this out there on social media without contacting the school first. She said that she ended up taking it down from her Facebook.

Nikki stated that she was unaware that her husband had already sent the same pictures to Cities 92.9 FM and then it blew up on social media. She stated that she contacted the school through email and made the complaint about the book. Nikki seemed satisfied that the issue was resolved and that the school handled the situation.

Nikki and her husband do not wish to pursue this any further.

Supplemental Reporting CHIEF MICHAEL GERIETS - HYPD, D#1

May 2, 2023

On March 20, 2023, I spoke to Jay Laesch by telephone.

I explained to him that I would need to sit down with him and his wife to discuss their complaint. I also explained that we would need to schedule a CAC (Child Advocacy Center) interview for their son. He stated that he had spoken to the Klawitters and was aware that they no longer wished to be complainants. I also advised him that was the same with the McGrews. He stated to me that he was unsure if they wanted to go forward with a complaint. He stated that his son did not actually see the contents book, other than the outside of the book and title. He only heard other students talking about the book.

He stated if he wished to pursue this any further he would contact me. As of May 02, 2023, I have still not heard back from Mr. Laesch.

As of the end of this investigation, I still do not know of one student who actually picked up the book and looked inside at the actual contents of the book other than the daughter of Niki McGrew. It is unlikely that she would have seen the contents of the book if it wasn't for following the instructions of her mother to take photos or video of the book and some of the pages in the book.

Supplemental Reporting CHIEF MICHAEL GERIETS - HYPD, DD #1 б

May 2, 2023

Supplemental report by Chief Geriets

Towards the last week of March (exact date unknown) I had telephoned the Bloomington Public Library in regards to the book in possession. I spoke to the Bloomington Public Library Operations Manager, Caprice Prochnow. I explained that I was in possession of approximately 51 books that are all labeled as property of the Bloomington Public Library. I explained as to how I became in possession of those books and explained to them that I needed to know who the books were checked out to. I was advised that they would not be able to tell me who checked the books out because there are privacy laws prohibiting them from sharing that information. I advised them that I would not be returning the books and they could notify the person who checked out the books that I have them.

The following day I received a telephone call from Jeannie Hamilton (309) 590-6100 asking for a return phone call. I called her and she stated that all she could tell me was that the books were not checked out to Sarah Bonner.

I again explained that I would return the books to whoever checked the books out and they could contact me.

April 4th, 2023, I received an email from Sarah Bonner wanting to make arrangements to pick up the books. I was on vacation and did not reply to the email.

April 11th, 2023, I received another email from Sarah Bonner, again trying to make arrangements to pick up the

books.

April 13th, 2023, I received another email from Sarah Bonner stating that she had made contact with Dr. Taylor and was told the books could not be released to her because she wasn't the one who checked the books out. Sarah stated that she had used her son's library card and could prove it.

On Tuesday, April 18th, all of the books that were taken by me were returned to Sarah Bonner. She came to the south doors of Heyworth Village Hall where I returned them to her.

It should be noted that the parents' concern was that Sarah Bonner being an English Teacher, was trying to indoctrinate students when it came to the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter, and the Trans Community. Of the books that I had seized from the school, "This Book is Gay" was probably one of the most controversial due to the graphic content and what the parents were claiming was not age appropriate for 13-14-year-olds.

There were 6 books out of the 51 I seized that had anything to do with gay, lesbian, or trans topics. They are as follows:

This Book is Gay, by James Dawson.

Trans + Love, Sex, Romance & being You, by Kathryn Gonzales MBA & Karen Rayne, PHD

Camp, Putting the Out in the Great Outdoors by L.C. Rosen

Friday I'm in Love, One Party Can Change Your Life by Camryn Garrett

Cold, A Boy-a murder, a girl, a secret by Mariko Tamaki

The Minus One Club by Kekla Magoon

All books were labeled by the Bloomington Public Library as "Teen."

Photographs of these book were taken before being released to Sarah to return to the library.

At the conclusion of this report, I am not aware of any parent who was wishing to pursue this criminally. I also am not aware of any student that had actually been affected by the book being in the classroom. The only minor I am aware of actually seeing some of the contents of the book was Niki McGrew's minor daughter M. who only saw the contents once instructed to photograph the contents of the book.

This investigation is Administratively Closed until further evidence or complaints come forward.