New Principal Named, Queen of Martyrs Administrators, Archdiocese Sued Over Sub Scandal

EVERGREEN PARK, IL – Queen of Martyrs School has appointed an interim principal following a scandal involving a substitute teacher who was fired last month when parents discovered that he had a trail of child sexual abuse allegations and convictions.

Beth Guerrero is a veteran educator with more than 20 years of experience, including four years at Queen of Martyrs, where she has taught kindergarten, pre-K and physical education. She is a graduate of DePaul University, holds a master of arts degree in early childhood education and teaching from St. Xavier University.

“Mrs. Guerrero is a trusted educator whose heart for children is evident in everything she does,” said Rev. Richie Ortiz in a news release, parish priest and administrator of St. Gianna Molla Parish. “She is well known to and respected by our families and faculty and brings a deep sense of vocation to her work, pairing academic excellence with compassionate leadership. She is the right person to guide our school during this time.”

A graduate of Marian Catholic High School, she credits her own faith-filled education and the active involvement of her parents in her school community as formative in shaping her vocation as an educator.

“Whether they are in my classroom or not, they are my children,” Guerrero told families last Thursday evening when she announced she accepted the position. “My promise is to love them, protect them, challenge them, and do everything in my power to help them grow academically, emotionally, and in faith so they feel safe, known, and deeply valued.”

Guerrero’s appointment comes as “Queen of Martyrs moves forward after the termination of a second-grade teacher.” Brett Smith, 43, of Tinley Park, who had legally changed his last name to Smith from Zagorac, was a substitute teacher at the Evergreen Park parochial school at the time of his termination.

Legal experts are baffled at how Smith was able to slip through an Archdiocese of Chicago background and fingerprint check when he was hired as a long-term substitute at St. Walter-St. Benedict School in Blue Island. Smith also worked at other South Side Catholic schools during the 2024-2025 school year. Smith had been employed in January as a substitute teacher at Queen of Martyrs.

Smith is currently being detained in Cook County Jail on a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 9-year-old boy while employed by the boy’s parents as a private tutor in Orland Park. Smith turned himself in to Orland Park police on Jan. 29.

Following his first court appearance on Jan. 30, Evergreen Park police announced that they had charged Smith with battery on a separate allegation of child molestation at Queen of Martyrs School.

A civil lawsuit was also filed last Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court by a plaintiff identified as “Jane Doe” against Ortiz, Smith and the Archdiocese of Chicago. The mother alleges Smith was grooming her second-grade son and inappropriately touched him, ABC7 Chicago reported.

Also named as a defendant in the complaint was Stephen Davidson, who had served as principal of the school since 2023. It is unknown if the change in leadership at Queen of Martyrs is related.