Nurse Fired At Arlington Heights School Over Medicine Swap: District

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — A school nurse, accused last month of misusing the prescription drugs of students, has been fired. The Arlington Heights School District 25 Board of Education voted unanimously to terminate the contract of Tory Eitz, who was a nurse at Westgate Elementary School.

The board voted 6-0 in favor of her firing. Eitz had been on leave since April 22 as an investigation continues, both between the school district and the Arlington Heights Police Department. She has not been charged with any crimes at this time.

"The recent breach of trust by one registered nurse at Westgate Elementary is distressing and concerning," Board President Greg Scapillato said at the meeting, according to an email sent to Patch by District 25. "The board and administration cares deeply about the safety and well-being of our students, families and staff in our community. The action we took at today’s meeting is not something we take lightly."

Scapillato said the board was given evidence of "egregious" conduct on the part of Eitz, which violated school polices. He added that school administration is working with the Cook County Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education on the matter.

RELATED: Child Positive For Fentanyl After Medicine Swap At Arlington Heights School — Lawyer

As Patch reported in April, the family of a student at Westgate hired a lawyer after the child's doctor said their blood work showed signs of "excessive aspirin intake," and tested positive for fentanyl.

Romanucci & Blandin, a Chicago-based law firm, told Patch at the time that they have evidence the school did not "properly" dispense children's prescription medication, instead giving students substitute medications.

In response to Eitz's firing Wednesday night, the law firm called it "more than appropriate, but far overdue."

"The reckless actions by District 25 disregarded the health and well-being of multiple children and put the children at risk. In our representation of multiple families in this situation, we learned that administration officials received reports of missing medication prior to April 22, 2024, and behaved recklessly in their roles," said Gina DeBoni, managing partner at Romanucci & Blandin.

Last month, District 25 said the families of Westgate students who allow the school to dispense prescription medications were contacted. They were asked to visit the school and "verify both the contents and the quantity of medication maintained onsite at the health office."

"Like you, we are deeply disappointed to learn of this potential breach of trust. The safety and well-being of our students, staff and school community is a top priority. Please know that all District 25 staff members are subject to extensive pre-employment background checks," Superintendent Lori Bean said in a letter to parents.

Romanucci & Blandin called the decision to terminate Eitz an "incomplete response." They are asking that school officials and administrators involved be put on administrative leave and are calling for a third party to investigate the entire situation.

"The District 25 damage control efforts to distance themselves from the actions of Tory Eitz are simply smoke and mirrors in an effort to avoid municipal responsibility," DeBoni said. "However, as our civil investigation proceeds, we acquired evidence that District 25 leaders were very aware of concerns as far back as 2022."