By ANDREW ROSTEN
GIBSON CITY — After a nearly 2 1/2-hour closed session Thursday night, the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley school board voted 7-0 to uphold Superintendent Jeremy Darnell’s decision to place eighth-grade math teacher and boys’ basketball coach Robbie Dinkins, who is also the head coach of the Fisher/GCMS High School soccer team, on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations by police and school district legal counsel into alleged misconduct, including inappropriate communication with students.
Darnell placed Dinkins on paid administrative leave on Monday, March 31, a week after a student’s parent showed concerning text messages between their child and Dinkins to GCMS Middle School Principal Kent Nash, who subsequently informed Darnell, according to a resolution approved by the board during Thursday’s special meeting.
As of Friday, Dinkins had not been arrested or charged with any crime. Darnell said he was informed on Wednesday, April 2, that Gibson City police had served a warrant on Dinkins for his electronic devices, and Police Chief Adam Rosendahl confirmed an ongoing investigation by his police department.
Gibson City police officer Jacob Horsch was among the 24 attendees at Thursday’s board meeting at the unit office, but he left once the board entered closed session for the next 2 hours and 21 minutes.
In addition to the ongoing police investigation, attorney Stephanie Jones, of the Kriha Boucek law firm, continues to investigate the matter on the school district’s behalf.
According to the resolution approved by the board, “it is the desire of the board that Dinkins remain on paid administrative leave through at least the conclusion of Jones’ investigation, if not the conclusion of the police investigation.”
On Friday, Darnell said he expects Jones’ investigation to be completed and a report finalized by the board’s April 23 meeting, when its findings will be reviewed to determine the next steps. As for the police investigation, Darnell said he did not know the expected timeframe.
According to the resolution, Dinkins has cooperated with the school district’s investigation. As of Friday, Dinkins had not yet responded to a request for comment from the Ford County Chronicle.
While school district officials have not released many details of Dinkins’ alleged misconduct, they provided a detailed timeline of what has happened since receiving the initial complaint on Monday, March 24.
According to the board’s resolution:
— On Monday, March 24, Nash communicated the allegations to Darnell, and together they determined that an immediate conversation with Dinkins was necessary. Nash then directed Dinkins to meet with him “first thing in the morning” and to refrain from using his personal device to communicate with any students. The middle school’s union representative was also notified.
— After meeting with Dinkins on Tuesday, March 25, Darnell shared information about the allegations with school board President Phil Whitehouse. “Based on the totality of the information they had at that time, including the parent’s allegations and Dinkins’ response, (Darnell and Whitehouse) determined that more information and advice from legal counsel was needed before placing Dinkins on administrative leave.”
— Later on Tuesday, March 25, Darnell spoke with the school district’s legal counsel and continued his own investigation, meeting with other students and families, before concluding that “the additional information he had at that time did not indicate a need to place Dinkins on leave.” That same day, Darnell reported all the information he had to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which opted not to open an investigation.
— As Darnell continued his investigation on Wednesday, March 26, the parents who provided the initial information to Nash filed a formal complaint requesting that an “outside investigator” look into the allegations. Darnell then spoke with legal counsel and asked that an independent investigator be assigned. At that time, Jones was appointed as investigator. The board then received a briefing on the allegations and Darnell’s investigation, as well as the request for an independent investigation.
— On Thursday, March 27, Darnell asked that Dinkins come before school to the unit office, where the decision was made that Dinkins would “extend an already-scheduled medical leave for March 28 to include March 27.” Darnell continued to speak with families that day, as well.
— On Friday, March 28, the complainant requested an “urgent meeting” with Darnell, indicating that Dinkins had violated the directive not to contact students. Upon investigation, Darnell determined that Dinkins had called a student from a school phone, which did not violate the directive. Dinkins was reminded not to contact students from non-school-related platforms.
— On Sunday, March 30, Darnell was informed that the complainants filed a police report alleging misconduct by Dinkins. Police told Darnell that information not originally shared with the school district was shared with the police. That same day, Darnell received a second complaint from parents seeking an independent investigation.
— On Tuesday, April 1 — one day after Darnell placed Dinkins on paid administrative leave — Jones initiated her investigation, interviewing both complainants and other witnesses. “Both complainants brought forth documentation that was not previously provided … The new information indicated unprofessional conduct but did not implicate state or federal sexual misconduct laws.”
— Following the investigation by Jones, she and Darnell determined that a special board meeting would be warranted to inform the board of the “new information about unprofessional conduct” that had been obtained. Darnell reported all of the “new information” to the DCFS, which “again declined to open an investigation.”
Before the board entered closed session during Thursday’s special meeting, Gibson City resident Sara Powell spoke to the board as a concerned parent. Powell said she contacted Darnell on Wednesday, April 2, to express concerns about a lack of communication to parents and to request transparency on how the investigation was being handled.
“In response, I was given a general statement about confidentiality and legal obligations with no direct answer to my key concerns, which were whether the individual in question is still in contact with students, what specific steps are being taken to ensure student safety and why no communication has been issued to parents regarding the situation,” Powell told the board. “This is not about whether you guys have finished an investigation, or anything like that. This is about communication to the parents. This is a serious allegation. Whether it’s true or not, we should have been notified.
“I understand confidentiality laws and a general statement reassuring parents that student safety is a priority and outlining inappropriate action is both necessary and expected, so I’m asking the school board to take the following steps: Issue a general statement to parents acknowledging the situation and reassuring us that appropriate action is being taken, clearly outlining safety measures in place to prevent further incidents, including not allowing staff to contact children via text or social media; establish a communication protocol for informing parents about serious concerns affecting students; and ensuring that all investigations involving staff misconduct follow a transparent process with appropriate oversight.
“The safety of our children should not be a question — nor should parents be left to rely on rumors for critical information — so I’m asking the board to take immediate action to restore trust and ensure that families are kept informed in matters that directly impact our children.”
Todd Heath, a high school track and field coach at Fisher and a youth soccer coach, spoke to the board Thursday, as well. Heath is the father of Logan Heath, a member of Dinkins’ Fisher/GCMS high school soccer team for four seasons.
“He can definitely vouch he never felt more important than how coach made him feel,” Todd Heath said. “For that, I truly am thankful, because, as a father, it helped give him a role model outside of the home and I watched my kid grow into the young man he is today.”
Over seven years as the head soccer coach of the Bunnies, Dinkins has posted a 116-24-9 record, including an IHSA Class 1A round-of-16 postseason appearance last fall.
“We, as a soccer family, value and trust everything about coach Dinkins,” Todd Heath said. “I feel like he instilled a lot of values in our kids — leaderships and different traits. Our kids looked up to him. There is no doubt I would let them go and bond as a group because he would make sure they were like family, and they worked together as a family.
“What I saw him do with this program is bring them up to being the young adults they are, to being responsible for their actions and concentrating on things outside of the program but holding them accountable for everything they did. I watched him bring this program up and bring two schools together. He made sure that kids in both schools had every opportunity to be successful and to show that he cared about every one of those kids.”
On Friday, the board’s resolution was posted on the school district’s website. In a letter to GCMS families, Darnell encouraged parents to read it.
“I apologize that such an unsettling circumstance is occurring in our system,” Darnell said, “and we will continue to work to ensure the safety and well-being of our students every day.”