Highland Park High School Removes Plaque Honoring Penn State President Spanier

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Nov 11, 2011 10:05PM

Highland Park High School was quick to take down a plaque and photo honoring "distinguished alumnus" Graham Spanier, the former President of Penn State University. They also erased the name of the 1966 graduate from their website. The Tribune writes:

"Our distinguished alumni need to be role models," Superintendent George Fornero said in a statement released by Township High School District 113. "Unfortunately, the actions in this case generate a lot of questions about Spanier's involvement. In an attempt to protect our students, the plaque has been removed."

Spanier was forced out by the school's Board of Trustees for his role in ignoring child sex abuse allegations against former football coach Jerry Sandusky. A graduate assistant witnessed Sandusky abusing a 10-year-old boy and passed the information through the ranks. Spanier said by the time the information got to him it was watered down. From the Grand Jury's report:

Spanier described it as "Jerry Sandusky in the football building locker area in the shoer [ ] with a younger child and that they were horsing around in the shower."

Under what circumstances is it appropriate to be "horsing around in the shower" with a 10-year-old? Why wouldn't Spanier do more than just ban Sandusky from bringing children onto campus? Former Chicagoist editor Marcus Gilmer called a "sin of omission" that school officials contacted their bosses instead of the police. We agree with Highland Park High School Superintendant's assessment that this is not the behavior of a distinguished person. Chicago Magazine's Whet Moser asked if maybe PSU should get rid of its football program, as University of Chicago did decades ago. As a Pennsylvania native, this Chicagoista can tell you that will never happen, but it's worth thinking about.