According to documents obtained by Pioneer Press through a public records request, veteran Oak Park and River Forest High School physics teacher Aaron Podolner was fired this summer because an internal investigation concluded that he had “leered” at students, made inappropriate comments and because other students corroborated a female student’s complaint that on Nov. 21, 2024 Podolner had inappropriately touched her.
However the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services determined that the student’s allegation against Podolner was unfounded and the Oak Park Police Department investigated the charge and declined to file charges, saying that nothing they found substantiated the allegations that Podolner had illegally touched a student.
The records, which were heavily redacted to hide specifics of the charges against Podolner, stated “other students in the classroom corroborated Student A’s account of what occurred. Some students also reported that because of this incident, they are uncomfortable continuing being taught by you.”
Podolner was placed on paid leave shortly after the complaint was filed Nov. 22. On July 10, the OPRF District 200 Board of Education voted 6-0 with one abstention to fire Podolner, a 1996 OPRF graduate who had taught at his alma mater since 2000. In 2004, Podolner received the prestigious Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching.
Podolner is contesting his firing and has filed an appeal to the Illinois State Board of Education, which will appoint a hearing officer to conduct an evidentiary hearing in the case. After hearing the evidence the hearing officer will make a recommendation and then the School Board will have an opportunity to reconsider its decision to fire Podolner.
According to a letter sent to Podolner detailing the charges and evidence against him, some students said Podolner would “look or ‘leer’ at students in a way that makes them uncomfortable.” The letter also states some students said Podolner “made other inappropriate comments based on appearances, race, or sex/gender, including after you were warned about such conduct.”
“During the course of the investigation, multiple students reported that you often stare at students in ways that make them uncomfortable,” the letter stated. “Students reported that this conduct is most often directed to REDACTED students.”
The OPRF administration, which recommended firing Podolner, and the School Board found the evidence against Podolner credible.
“Your inappropriate leering at REDACTED students has irreparably damaged the District’s trust in your ability to engage with students in an appropriate and professional manner, to create a respectful and safe learning environment, and to behave as role model,” the letter to Podolner stated.
During the course of the investigation, Podolner was interviewed by school administrators and, according to the letter, Podolner said he could not remember if he had ever stared at a student in an inappropriate way but denied that he had ever done so intentionally.
The school administration and the School Board concluded that Podolner’s behavior justified firing him.
“Your lack of professional judgement and highly inappropriate and often sexual nature of your conduct are evidence that you are not capable of exercising appropriate judgment and therefore lack the qualifications necessary to continue as a public educator,” the letter to Podolner stated.
In an email response to a request for comment, Podolner denied all the allegations against him without going into specifics.
“I deny all the allegations against me,” Podolner wrote.
In an email Podolner sent to administrators on Feb. 19 during the investigation, Podolner noted that both DCFS and Oak Park police considered the November allegation against him unfounded.
“I have never touched a student inappropriately, I have not commented on a student’s body since the “nice arms” incident 7 years ago, and I never have sexualized conversations with kids,” Podolner wrote.
Oak Park River Forest High School teacher Aaron Podolner stands outside his LaGrange Park home, Wednesday, July 22, 2020. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune)
The investigation also found that Podolner often complimented students on their appearance, records state. The school’s investigation consisted of collecting student statements and interviewing Podolner.
Podolner was also accused of “engaging in harassing conduct towards students based on their grasp of curricular material and participation in the classroom.” The specifics of this allegation, like the other specifics in the investigation, were redacted in the copy of the letter sent to Podolner.
The incident in November was not the first time that administrators and some students had issues with Podolner, according to records.
On June 24, 2024, Podolner attended a meeting with Janel Bishop, OPRF’s director of Employee Relations and Recruitment, Faculty Senate President Sheila Hardin and Science Division head Matt Kilpatrick to discuss concerns that came out of an investigation into a complaint against Podolner that was determined to be unfounded, records show.
Afterward, Bishop told Podolner to no longer ask students for their preferred email address and to conduct all email communication with students through their OPRF email addresses, documents obtained by Pioneer Press show. Podolner was also asked to tone down or stop his use of humor or sarcasm to build rapport with students.
Bob Skolnik is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/26/oprf-teacher-podolner-fired-documents/
