Lake Park (Ill.) High School officials have confirmed that their internal probe into the Lancers football program focuses on how a man convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in the early 1990s ended up as a volunteer offensive line coach with this year's team.
As reported by suburban Chicago's Daily Herald, Frank J. Battaglia, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a girl between the ages of 13 and 16 in 1991 while she was a student at the former Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison.
His probationary period ended in November 1993 — earlier than originally ordered. The law at that time did not require him to register as a sex offender because he was not considered a habitual offender. That law was changed in 1993, but it was not retroactive, authorities said.
His name does not appear on the Illinois sex offender registry.
Officials apparently became aware of Battaglia's background last week. Since then, head football coach Chris Roll has been indefinitely suspended, and principal Dominic Manola and athletic director Pete Schauer have been placed on administrative leave.
Related: Lack of Background Check Behind High School Shake-Up
Battaglia joined the team this year. He told the Chicago Tribune that he was recruited to help and was never required to fill out any paperwork about his background, which if true represents a violation of school district policy.
"The district requires criminal background checks and fingerprinting of all volunteers involved in co-curricular programs, which includes all athletics and activities," a district release stated. "Head coaches and sponsors are required to submit a roster of volunteer and paid coaches to the Human Resources Department and Athletic Department authorizing criminal background checks.
"However, the district cannot proceed with a criminal-background check of a volunteer if the head coach or sponsor fails to submit the name of the volunteer."
An Addison woman, Debbie Sciortino, posted on Facebook last week that she was Battaglia's victim, according to the Daily Herald.
"I was only 14 years old when I was his victim. Thirty years later he's still around children! Unacceptable on every level, when will he be stopped?"
Later that day she posted, "We pressed changes [sic] 30 years ago when I was the victim — he's still allowed around kids, makes me sick."
Bataglia is no longer involved with the Lake Park football program. He told the Tribune that not fighting the case in court at the time "was the biggest mistake of my life."
