Downers Grove South teacher accused of sexually abusing student

A Downers Grove South High School teacher has been charged with sexually abusing a student.

Christina Formella, 30, of the 1300 block of Hughes Avenue in Downers Grove, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault.

According to the charges, she is accused of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy in December 2023.

Formella and the boy had a sexual encounter in a classroom one day in December 2023, according to a prosecutor’s petition to detain Formella.

He was 15 and she was 28 at the time. She had been a coach for his soccer team the year before, and was also tutoring him, according to the petition.

The alleged relationship was discovered Friday, when the boy’s mother bought him a new phone and signed in to his iCloud account, authorities said. She found messages between the boy and Formella about sexual activity and a relationship, according to the petition.

When questioned by police, Formella denied the sexual contact, according to the petition. Prosecutors said investigators found additional evidence corroborating the relationship, which the boy ultimately ended, police said.

Judge Joshua Dieden granted Formella pretrial release Monday. She is to have no contact with the boy or anyone under the age of 18, and is prohibited from entering the high school.

According to state records, Formella received her teaching license in 2017, for language arts and as a learning behavior specialist. The school district has put her on paid administrative leave.

Principal Arwen Lyp sent an email message to parents Monday morning stating Formella has been a teacher in the special services department since the fall of 2020. Formella was a volunteer soccer coach in 2020, and has coached boys and girls soccer since August 2021.

“We are devastated, and our community is reeling,” Lyp wrote “An adult has been charged with the most serious of violations, and trust has been broken. Our team is here to support students who are impacted by this terrible news.”