EAST ST. LOUIS – East St. Louis School District 189 Superintendent Arthur Culver told families the district was recently notified of the arrest of Chad D. Gray Jr. of New Baden, Illinois, on charges that reportedly include traveling to meet a child, grooming, indecent solicitation of a child, and solicitation to meet a child, according to a letter sent after the district was informed by a partner organization Go International.
In the letter, Culver said Gray was not employed by the district but provided financial literacy instruction through his affiliation with the nonprofit Go International as part of after-school programming at several district schools at certain periods of time from 2024 to 2025.
Culver said Gray’s volunteer service in district schools took place from Feb. 26, 2024, through May 2025 in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, with sessions on Mondays at Mason/Clark Middle from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays at Wyvetter Younge from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and occasional fill-in work at Dr. Katie Harper Wright. He also served in June 2025 and from Sept. 5, 2025, through Feb. 5, 2026, through Community Schools at Officer Elementary School.
The district said Gray completed all required District Human Resources background screening procedures before serving in schools, including state and federal criminal background checks.
Culver also said Gray recently completed and cleared background screening requirements through the Regional Office of Education, where he also provided services through Go International.
According to the Culver letter, Go International representatives told district administration that the organization’s policy does not permit staff or volunteers to be alone with students. Culver said Gray was paired with another teacher or adult during program activities.
Administration at Officer Elementary further reported that Gray was consistently supervised by a certified teacher or paraprofessional while on campus and remained in areas covered by security cameras, the letter said.
Culver said Human Resources is working with principals and staff to investigate.
“At this time, the District has received no information indicating that any School District 189 students were involved in the alleged conduct,” Culver wrote.
He said the district would continue to monitor the situation in consultation with legal counsel and relevant authorities.
Culver asked anyone with relevant information or concerns to contact Dr. Valencia Martin-Hawkins at valencia.martin@estl189.com or 618-646-3003, or Keisa Garrett at keisa.garrett@estl189.com or 618-646-3014. He also directed people to report information or concerns related to the matter to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-2873, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
