GENEVA – A Geneva High School guidance counselor who used a district app to encourage support for the teachers union during the recent strike was suspended without pay for an indefinite period of time after the school board acted at a special meeting Jan. 7.

The board also voted to issue a written reprimand to the guidance counselor, M. Brian Vaughan.

The board gave no reason for its ruling, but Geneva Education Association President Kevin Gannon stated in an email that it was because of the incident with the phone app that occurred on Dec. 8 that was related to the teachers strike, which was ongoing at the time.

“Brian used an app called Remind to send students a link to an online petition urging the school board to end the strike,” Gannon’s email stated.

“He sent a follow-up message within minutes asking students to disregard the original message. Vaughan also apologized in this follow-up message to the students,” Gannon’s email stated. “Vaughan acknowledged to the board of education that the action was inappropriate and apologized to the board for any issues it may have created for the district, the community and students who received the message.”

The school board met for more than two hours in closed session before taking action. The board’s motion was not specific about the suspension, other than to state “for the reasons discussed in closed session.”

Public bodies can meet in closed session for specific reasons, such as personnel and employee discipline, but state law requires them to vote in open session.

Teachers struck for five days during contentious contract talks from Dec. 4 to Dec. 10. They went back to work Dec. 11 after ratifying a five-year contract.

Vaughan was accompanied by an attorney from the Illinois Education Association and Gannon.

The board did not state what length of time Vaughan is to be suspended without pay. “That’s to be determined,” board president Mark Grosso said.