Mercer County Superintendent Timothy Farquer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest Wednesday, the school board president announced Friday.
Farquer, 53, of Williamsfield, and district IT employees Amberly Norton, 41, and Andrea Long, 41, both of Aledo, are accused of illegally accessing students’ medical files. All three were arrested Wednesday.
Each is facing a charge of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of two to five years. The three also are charged with one count each of disclosing hospital or medical info and computer tampering. Each of those charges is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a possible jail sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to $2,500.
Mercer County School Board President Bill Smock said in a statement sent Friday that, “at the advice of legal counsel, the Mercer County School Board voted 6-0 to place Superintendent Timothy Farquer on paid administrative leave.”
Smock did not say if Farquer is on paid or unpaid administrative leave, and he did not mention the status of Norton or Long.
Alan Boucher and Scott Petrie have been appointed to serve as interim superintendents, he said.
“Both leaders bring a wealth of experience and proven dedication to education, and the Board is confident in their ability to guide the district during this time,” Smock said.
Boucher has previously served as an interim superintendent for Rock Island-Milan School District. Petrie is a former superintendent for Mercer County School District.
“As more information comes available, the board remains committed to transparency, collaboration, and maintaining the high standards of excellence that the community expects from its schools,” Smock said.
The charges against Farquer allege he began accessing medical records without authorization around Sept. 1 and continued through the present. In the count of unauthorized access to medical records, court documents say Farquer demanded a school nurse disclose vaccination information to him, compiled the records into a document and shared it with an “unauthorized individual.”
Farquer was hired at Mercer County in 2024.
The charges against Norton and Long allege they began accessing medical records without authorization in July of 2019 and continuing through the present. The charging documents against them do not specify what sort of medical information they are accused of accessing.
The state did not request to have any of the three detained pending trial. All three were released from jail following their initial appearance on Thursday and ordered not to communicate with the other two.
Preliminary hearings for Norton and Long are scheduled for Oct. 7, while Farquer’s is scheduled for Oct. 20.
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