Tory E. Eitz
After an investigation that took nearly four months, an Arlington Heights school nurse was charged Friday in connection with misappropriating medication prescribed to students, police said.
Tory E. Eitz, 48, of the 300 block of West Euclid Avenue, was fired from her job at Westgate Elementary School in May. Eitz now is charged with one felony count of official misconduct, five felony counts of forgery, and seven misdemeanor counts of endangering the life or health of a child.
In announcing the charges Friday afternoon, police said “multiple” students were affected.
Eitz couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Police detectives reviewed physical evidence collected at the school, information obtained from forensically extracted data and documents obtained through the legal process, in addition to conducting numerous interviews with witnesses, school staff members and parents, according to a news release.
Authorities said they gathered information to substantiate that Eitz altered official school documents to conceal her actions.
Eitz was taken into custody Friday, then processed and released, in compliance with the state’s Pretrial Fairness Act. She is due in court Monday.
The arrest Friday comes days after Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 announced new procedures for how medication will be administered during the school day.
In addition to a school nurse, a witness — either another nurse or a school administrator — must verify any prescription controlled substances that are dropped off at schools by parents, according to the new rules.
That second person also will be required to do a weekly check of the nurse’s office to verify that medicine bottle contents match a written description of the prescription and amounts.
If any controlled substance is missing, district officials say they will notify Arlington Heights police.
District officials in late April placed Eitz on administrative leave, then fired her about two weeks later citing “gross misconduct committed outside the scope of her employment, multiple unauthorized violations of District 25 policy and procedures, and willful insubordination,” according to a school board resolution.