District 70 Fires Teacher Accused Of Possessing Child Sex Abuse Material

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — A tenured Libertyville Elementary District 70 teacher accused of possessing child sexual abuse material was fired Tuesday after the school board approved his dismissal, calling his alleged conduct an “unconscionable breach of trust," the Daily Herald is reporting.

The board acted following criminal charges filed against Marshall Sheffer, a Highland Middle School social studies teacher, alleging the 18-year veteran of District 70 used artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images depicting current and former students, with some of the images dating back to 2018 and 2019. District officials said the allegations violated the trust placed in educators and warranted immediate termination.

“On behalf of our entire board, I want to acknowledge that the past few weeks have been deeply difficult for many members of our school community, especially those students and families who may be personally affected," school board President Jennifer Khan said Tuesday.

Sheffer was arrested July 3 after students reported concerns that they may have been recorded, according to authorities.

Prosecutors allege a search of Sheffer’s phone uncovered images of students ages 12 to 14 years that were altered using AI to create sexually explicit images, according to Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

• Libertyville Teacher Accused of Creating AI Explicit Images To Remain In Custody

Sheffer has been charged with eight felony counts of child pornography, authorities said.