ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – A former Arlington Heights elementary school nurse has been sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to misappropriating medications prescribed to students.
What we know:
Tory Eitz, 48, was sentenced Thursday to 180 days in Cook County Jail, with 90 days to be served in the jail’s drug treatment program.
Eitz will also serve 30 months of probation, undergo drug testing and is barred from certain health care jobs, including positions involving children. Her nursing license is under review.
The backstory:
Eitz was arrested in August 2024 following a months-long investigation at Westgate Elementary School.
Police said she altered school records and mismanaged medications, placing multiple students at risk. She was found guilty of official misconduct, five counts of forgery and seven counts of endangering the life or health of a child.
What they’re saying:
Attorneys for nine affected students called the sentencing an important step toward accountability.
“Today’s felony conviction by the former nurse is an important step towards accountability for the harm to the education, physical health and social emotional development of nine children, and the fact that Tory Eitz will now spend time in jail is a satisfying but somber outcome to the criminal proceedings,” said Gina A. DeBoni, managing and senior partner at Romanucci & Blandin, in a statement.
The legal team also criticized Arlington Heights School District 25, alleging the district was aware of concerns about Eitz’s conduct and allowed her continued access to students and their medications.
The judge, in sentencing remarks, called Eitz’s conduct “diabolical” and said the children harmed did nothing to provoke or deserve the abuse of trust.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Romanucci & Blandin legal team and previous FOX 32 reporting.