McHenry District 15 special education teacher wanted on child endangerment charges

A Wonder Lake woman accused of allowing her children to live in a home with dog feces and no food is employed at Parkland School as a special education teacher, McHenry School District 15 records show.

Jennifer A. Lamb, 36, is wanted on misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and reckless conduct. McHenry County sheriff's deputies arrested Lamb's husband, 37-year-old Jason Lamb, on Monday, after they say he choked a 6-year-old boy and allowed four children to live in unsanitary and dangerous conditions, court records show.

Jennifer Lamb earns $71,586 working as a special education teacher at Parkland School, according to the district's 2020 salary and benefits report.

"The District is aware of the charges filed against Ms. Lamb but will have no comment as the authorities conduct their investigation," District 15 Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Cindee Nootbaar said in an email Wednesday morning.

Nootbaar did not respond to a follow-up question asking whether Jennifer Lamb had been placed on any sort of administrative leave.

McHenry County sheriff's deputies were called to the Lambs' home on Oct. 30 for a well-being check, according to a McHenry County Sheriff’s Office news release issued Nov. 5.

There, police discovered animal feces on the floor of the home and noted in their complaint that there was no food in the pantry, no working smoke detectors and no clean clothes for the children, court records show. The Lambs also are accused of leaving a loaded and unsecured 9 mm semi-automatic handgun on the bed of an unlocked master bedroom in the home, court records show.

The Department of Children and Family Services immediately removed the children from the home and placed them with a family member, according to the news release .

Jennifer Lamb had not yet been arrested on the charges as of Tuesday evening.

Her professional education license was active with the Illinois State Board of Education as of Tuesday. In Illinois, some sexual, physically violent and drug offenses allow ISBE to automatically suspend a teacher's license pending the outcome of his or her case.

Neither of the charges against Jennifer Lamb, however, fall into that category. Instead, ISBE could eventually consider sanctions against Jennifer Lamb's license once more evidence is available, according to Illinois school code.