On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Westgate Elementary sixth grade teacher Michael Reilly was arrested on nine counts, six of which were for child pornography. The others were for unlawful intrusion. These situations did not involve Westside students. According to the Omaha World-Herald, a woman called the police after finding videos of underage girls undressing and showering on Reilly’s phone.

Reilly was immediately placed on administrative leave. Then, after Westside administration was notified of his arrest on Jan. 7, Westside called its crisis team that day. Kathy McGill, lead counselor in the Westside school district who is based at Hillside, contacted fellow counselors and psychologists to secure an emotional support team to be at Westgate Elementary School on January 8th,  the morning after Reilly’s arrest. 

“With a group that included counselors, social workers and the school psychologist, we talked and listened to staff and students and connected with parents as well,” McGill said. “One goal is to maintain routine as much as possible to provide security and stability while acknowledging the event and listening. We spoke to each sixth grade classroom directly, spent time with them throughout the day and provided a space and counseling support for any student that wanted to talk more about their feelings in a more private setting.”  

Parents of Westgate students and the Westside district were notified of the arrest before it was announced on January 8th to the public. 

According to Brandi Paul, the director of Communications and Engagement at Westside, there was a special room set up at Westgate the first day of school after Reilly’s arrest. It was intended for any students or staff members who needed to talk or share emotions. There was also a school resource officer at Westgate for two days in the morning and after dismissal for parents to ask questions and feel a sense of security for their children.  

“They started [the day after the arrest] by talking to the sixth grade classes saying, ‘We want you to come talk to us,’” Paul said. “We want to be open about this. We always want our students to feel comfortable in school and know they can talk to a trusted adult.” 

Along with this, there was a special meeting held for the teachers at Westgate. Mike Lucas, superintendent of Westside and Robert Aranda, director of Student Services, reminded staff members that if they were struggling with the news, there was a large support system as well as counseling opportunities available for them. 

Westgate Instructional Coach Sandy Morrow was the immediate short-term substitute teacher directly after the arrest. The long-term substitute teacher is now Vashti Mears. Mears has been a teacher for more than ten years, including guest teaching within Westside Community Schools. 

“We appreciate the way that our Human Resources Department and the Westgate leadership and staff handled the unfortunate situation,” Lucas said in an email. “We are glad to have a highly qualified long-term sub in the classroom for the rest of the year with some additional supports.”

According to Paul, teachers at Westgate have been receiving cards and emails from parents saying that they trust and believe in the Westside district, and there is no place that they would rather have their kids be. 

Depending on what happens next with Reilly’s case, the district cannot comment on future circumstances with Reilly due to staff member confidentiality. However, Paul said that if the school board takes action, Westside families, and Westgate families in particular, will be updated immediately.

“You know, we have that hashtag We are Westside, and this was a situation, as horrible as it is, where we really banded together to support our students and our staff members as best we could,” Paul said.