Blue State Pedophile - Belvidere High teacher will appear in court Friday

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Sex case stuns school community

The accused Belvidere High teacher will appear in court Friday.

Feb 04, 2008

Some Belvidere High School parents say they're shocked that a popular

volleyball coach and English teacher is accused of sexually abusing a

student, even after Loren Leoni, 24, surrendered to authorities and went to

jail.

"We don't want to believe it, because we do like her," said Jacqui

Frederick, whose daughter, Genna, was on Leoni's freshman girls volleyball

team. "She was an excellent coach, and she treated the girls great."

Leoni is accused of having a sexual relationship for several months with a

15-year-old boy. She faces charges of criminal sexual assault and aggravated

criminal sexual abuse in connection with the incidents, which officials say

took place at Leoni's Rockford apartment. Police searched for Leoni from

Thursday to Sunday, when she walked into the Winnebago County Jail and later

bonded out, State's Attorney Philip J. Nicolosi said. She'll be in court

Friday, he said.

Parents on Monday were still reeling from the news, which some said should

have come from the Belvidere School District and not the media. Others said

they don't believe authorities' charges and want to learn more before

passing judgment.

"It was a real surprise," said Carol Moravec, whose son, David, is a

Belvidere High School senior. She first learned of Leoni's charges from news

reports. "The school could have sent home a notice to parents. It might have

been nice to be warned."

Superintendent Michael Houselog remained mum about the incident and Leoni's

tenure with the School District, declining to comment about whether any

disciplinary action had been taken against Leoni. Frederick said Leoni was

no longer with the high school when daughter Genna returned to school from

Christmas break. She said Leoni had coached volleyball at the school for at

least a year.

"As a matter of public policy, we don't talk about any of our personnel

matters," Houselog said. "We always want to encourage our students and our

staff to make sure the environment they're working in and learning in is

safe."

The atmosphere in Belvidere High School's halls hasn't changed much since

news broke of Leoni's arrest, David Moravec said. When students talk about

the story, they're usually "joking around," he said.

"I didn't believe it," Moravec said of learning the news. "I think I had her

for a (substitute) once in (calculus). She didn't seem like that kind of

person."