A former West Chicago elementary school teacher was charged with sexually abusing multiple students, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office announced on Friday.
Mario Garcia, a 54-year-old man from Aurora, is facing two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and four counts of aggravated battery.
Judge Joshua Dieden ordered the former third grade teacher to be detained pre-trial at a court appearance on Friday.
Garcia was charged after school authorities at Currier Elementary School notified West Chicago police and DuPage County Children’s Center that a third-grade teacher, later identified as Garcia, had allegedly inappropriately touched several students, the state’s attorney’s office said.
“Following a thorough, child-sensitive investigation, it is alleged that during the 2025-2026 school year, Garcia inappropriately touched five students on multiple occasions,” the state’s attorney’s office said in a statement.
From the moment concerns were reported, District 33 said they took “immediate action” from “the moment concerns were reported” and removed Garcia from contact with students, notified law enforcement and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and subsequently terminated his employment.
DuPage County State’s Attorney called the allegations against Garcia “extremely disturbing.”
“It is alleged that he used his position of trust and authority as a teacher to sexually assault and abuse multiple students. I commend the authorities at West Chicago School District 33 and at Currier Elementary School for immediately bringing this matter to our attention and I want to stress that today’s charges are in no way indicative of the outstanding, professional faculty and staff employed by School District 33,” Berlin said.
West Chicago Chief of Police Colin Fleury echoed Berlin, stating the “allegations in this case are deeply concerning, particularly given the trust our community places in those who work with children.”
“We appreciate the prompt notification and cooperation of Currier Elementary School and School District 33 officials, which allowed our officers to begin investigating immediately,” Fleury said.
West Chicago Elementary School District 33 notified families and staff on Friday about the charges against Garcia and praised the students who came forward with the allegations.
“We know this news will be difficult for many in our community, particularly the students, families, and staff directly affected. Our priority remains supporting those impacted and continuing to work closely with families as we move forward. We are incredibly proud of the students who had the courage to come forward. Their willingness to speak up reinforces the importance of ensuring children can recognize concerning behavior, know how to report concerns, and identify trusted adults who will listen and help,” said superintendent Kristina Davis in the message.
Davis also clarified that Garcia passed the required state and federal background checks, educator licensure verification, and applicable employment-history reviews required under Illinois law, including Faith’s Law, as part of the school district’s hiring process.
“As a district, our next steps are focused on continued support, education, and prevention for our students, staff, and families. We are providing support and resources for the Currier community and partnering with Childhood Victories to expand age-appropriate education for all District 33 students around personal safety, healthy boundaries, recognizing grooming and inappropriate behavior, and speaking up,” Davis said.
They are also offering in-person crisis counseling services to any District 33 family or staff member from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday at Leman Middle School in the Community Room.
Garcia will appear in court next on Aug. 31.
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