Parent Arrested at Conrad Fischer Earlier This Month Tells His Side of the Story

When Dimas Carmona filmed his son on the playground at Conrad Fischer School after lunch on March 8, he had no idea he would be arrested at his ex-wife's home later that day.

"I'm working on my ex-wife's bathroom, doing remodeling, and the police came and put the handcuffs on me," said Carmona, a 45-year-old truck driver.

"They put in the police report that I was videotaping kids, like a pedophile," he said. "I'm not a pedophile. I have a kid in the school being abused and nobody's willing to listen."

The report also said Carmona used profanity and made "references to school shootings." The Carmonas, who have lived in the district for 14 years, say frustration with the school and District 205 led to the incident.

"My kid is crying every day, and I got really upset," Carmona said of his last visit to the school. He said he used the "F" word when talking to school staff, but not in front of students. "I said it crying. I was upset with the way my kid has been treated."

Carmona said his 6-year-old son has come home with broken glasses, bruises and a ripped jacket. He said his reference to school shootings was not meant as a threat.

"I told them, 'Thank God my kid is only 6 years old. Just imagine if he was 15 years old and could get hold of a weapon,'" Carmona said. "All this happening at schools around the country is because nobody is willing to help a kid that has a problem."

Carmona said his son is "no saint," but his multiple write-ups and suspensions, including a recent  five-day suspension, do more harm than good. 

"He runs around, jumps around, doesn't always follow direction. But he's 6 years old," Carmona said. "I don't think suspension of a 6-year-old is going to help him."

He said because the boy has been "labeled" as disruptive, it is impossible for him to get fair treatment when bullying is directed toward him, he said.

Carmona said he was a school-appointed Watchdog—a parent who watches over students at recess. On the day he was arrested, after his emotional conversation with school staff, he went outside to film his son to see if he could substantiate staff's claims that he is disruptive. He stopped filming as soon as school staff instructed him that it was not allowed, stayed until the end of recess, then left in his vehicle, he said.

He said he has taken his son to a doctor, who did not prescribe medication, and he has followed school protocol for evaluations. He said while he knows his son needs extra help, he believes his class of 29 students is part of the problem.

"If they think it's too much for the teacher, then reduce the class size," he said. "They told me they can't do that. Is that my kid's fault?"

He also asked to have his son moved from an English-only class to a smaller Spanish-speaking class.

"I said that would be good for him. We all speak Spanish," Carmona said. "That would be a challenge for him—a challenge that he needs. But they said it was too late in the game."

District 205 officials declined comment.

"We are not at liberty to discuss specifics related to this or any other student’s personal situation. We are bound by student right-to-privacy laws," said Melea Smith, District 205 director of communications.

School officials also declined to discuss class sizes or the English Language Learners program for the purpose of this story. Elmhurst Patch reported in January, however, that staffing needs are increasing.

And, in a staffing report presented to the School Board last Tuesday, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Meg Schnoor said student needs at Fischer and Churchville are "significantly more challenging." Where special education students in other district schools may need 350 minutes of special education programming per week, students at Fischer and Churchville are needing 800 to 1,000 minutes, she said.

"There is a big difference between a student who needs 300 minutes versus a student who needs 1,000 minutes a week when it comes to workload of our staff," she told the board.

Related:

• Most Participants in District 205 English Language Learners Forum said Program Deserves More Support

With the school year winding down, Carmona's ex-wife, Rosa, said she "can't take it anymore."

Rosa, 41, an office manager for a dental lab in Elmhurst and candidate for village clerk in Bensenville, said her son was approved for an aide last week, but when she visited the school, no aide was with him. While the district's official response has been that they were "working with the family to address their concerns," Rosa said on Tuesday she withdrew her son from Fischer. She said a move to a private school will give her peace of mind, and her son was excited to get a fresh start.

In the meantime, Dimas has hired a lawyer and hopes to have his no-trespass order lifted in time to see the oldest of their two daughters graduate from York High School in May. As a condition of his arrest, he is prohibited from being on any District 205 property.

Rosa said the experience has been "like a nightmare." She said some day, she would be open to moving her son back into District 205 to attend Churchville or York. She said she was nervous about going public with their troubles.

"But it has to be out there," she said. "There is more harm in us staying quiet."

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