Teacher sexually assaults 15-year-old student during tutoring session, Illinois cops say
A 15-year-old student met with his teacher before school started for a tutoring session in 2023, but she sexually assaulted him instead, Illinois prosecutors said.
The student didn’t report the assault until March 15, 2025, when his mother found details of the alleged abuse embedded in his text messages, DuPage County prosecutors said in a March 17 news release.
Now, the Downers Grove South High School teacher Christina Formella, 30, is facing charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault, according to county officials.
In a letter sent to students and families at the high school, the principal said Formella had worked at the school for five years, most recently in the special services department and as a volunteer soccer coach, and has been placed on administrative leave with pay.
“We are devastated, and our community is reeling,” the school said in the letter shared with McClatchy News. “An adult has been charged with the most serious of violations, and trust has been broken.”
Formella’s attorney information was not listed.
The teen, who is still a student at the high school, and his mother came to Downers Grove police to report the 2023 incident, prosecutors said.
Formella was arrested during a traffic stop the next day, officials said.
She is scheduled to appear in court on April 14.
Downers Grove is about a 20-mile drive southwest from downtown Chicago.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Teacher sexually assaults 15-year-old student during tutoring session, Illinois cops say."
