Teen Center Employee Fired; Accused Of Relationship With Minor

ORLAND PARK, IL — A longtime staff member at The Bridge Teen Center in Orland Park was fired this week after a former student there made allegations of "an inappropriate relationship," a statement from the organization said. The board of directors voted unanimously to fire the staff member, a man who officials there said has been with the non-profit community center geared to the needs of teens in Orland Park and nearby suburbs since its inception in 2010.

The former staff member was not named by a spokesman for The Bridge, and as of Tuesday has not been charged criminally. The Bridge has about 20 full-time and part-time employees, most of whom are female.

The student who made the allegation is now an adult; she said the relationship began when she was 15 years old in 2013 or 2014 and continued "for several years," according to a statement from The Bridge. Police in Orland Park have been notified of the allegations, the statement said.

Patch contacted multiple Orland Park Police Department officials Monday night to confirm an investigation but had not received a response as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The spokesman for The Bridge said the board of directors was told of the relationship on June 13 and notified the staff member of his firing on Monday. A decision on the termination was made over the last several days, the spokesman said.

"There's no doubt that this is a difficult day for our entire organization," the board of directors said in a statement to employees and parents Monday. "We are deeply saddened and troubled by these events and are doing everything possible to assist and support this courageous young woman."