Parents at Washington Elementary in Evanston say they are still stunned and angry after two former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 employees were indicted on child-sex charges. Assistant principal Carlos Mendez and paraprofessional Maribel Flores-Hernandez were arrested in early February and formally indicted in Cook County in early March, and both remain in custody. Families told reporters that the months-long trail of DCFS notices, staff leaves and school board action felt murky, slow and deeply unsettling.
According to The Daily Northwestern, charging documents allege the couple sexually abused an underage family member in Chicago over a two-year period and describe an additional alleged incident during a June 2025 trip to Miami. The outlet reports that both defendants were formally indicted on March 4 and have been held at the Cook County Jail since their Feb. 5 arrest.
Timeline And Board Action
At a Feb. 23 school board meeting, District 65 leaders voted to approve the "suspension and dismissal of an administrator." Public records later showed that the vote referred to Mendez, and Superintendent Angel Turner informed families on March 24 that his employment with the district had been terminated.
As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services issued "indicated findings" in December 2025, and the district had placed Mendez on leave after receiving a DCFS notification on Oct. 28, 2025.
Parents Want Clearer Communications
Parents told reporters that district emails felt thin and unsatisfying, leaving families, in their words, "flying blind" as they tried to figure out how to talk with their children about the case. District officials have said the allegations do not involve District 65 students and that legal limits restrict what the district can share, according to a district statement reported by CBS Chicago.
Legal Status And Next Steps
Cook County charging documents and reporting show that Mendez faces counts including aggravated criminal sexual abuse and a misdemeanor domestic battery charge, while Flores-Hernandez is charged with criminal sexual assault of a family member under 18. Both were indicted on March 4.
Court reports state that a judge ordered their continued detention, prosecutors requested DNA submissions to state police, and the pair also face outstanding warrants in Florida, according to Chicago Tribune coverage.
Where Families Go From Here
For many Washington Elementary families, the revelations were gutting. "Honestly, we cried," Washington parent Karen Jimenez told The Daily Northwestern. Other parents said they are doubling down on teaching their children to speak up if something feels wrong and are working to support teachers who are navigating students' questions in the classroom.
Community members say they want clearer, more predictable protocols for how the district alerts families and follows up when serious allegations involve staff. District 65 officials have directed reporters to their prior family communications and have reiterated that they are constrained by privacy and legal rules. The criminal case remains active in Cook County, and parents and staff say they will be watching closely to see how the board and district respond as the legal process unfolds.
