Springfield, IL – Following the arrest of a Mundelein teacher and volleyball coach accused of secretly recording a student, State Senator Darby Hills (R-Barrington Hills) is renewing her call for lawmakers to advance Senate Bill 2381, legislation she introduced to close a gap in Illinois law that allows individuals convicted of sexually motivated, unauthorized recordings of minors to avoid sex offender registration.
“This case is a troubling reminder of why I introduced Senate Bill 2381,” Hills said. “As a former prosecutor, I saw a serious gap in our law that needed to be addressed. Someone who secretly records a child for sexual purposes should not be able to avoid sex offender registration simply because of how the offense is classified. I introduced this bill because our children deserve stronger protections, and I am going to keep pushing to get it passed.”
According to reports, Dagoberto Diaz, a teacher at Carl Sandburg Middle School and junior varsity girls volleyball coach at Mundelein High School, was arrested and charged with one felony count of unauthorized video recording of a juvenile. The arrest followed a report made by students to school officials, who subsequently contacted law enforcement and the Department of Children and Family Services.
“As a mom of three and the state senator representing Mundelein, this is deeply troubling,” Hills said. “Parents send their children to school trusting that the adults responsible for them will keep them safe. I am incredibly proud of the students who had the courage to speak up, and I am grateful to the school officials and law enforcement who responded.”
Hills introduced Senate Bill 2381 specifically to address a loophole in Illinois’ Sex Offender Registration Act. Under current law, a conviction for unauthorized video recording of a minor does not, by itself, trigger sex offender registration, even when the recording was sexually motivated.
Her legislation would require adults convicted of unauthorized video recording or live video transmission involving a minor to register as sex offenders when a court determines that the offense was sexually motivated.
Hills filed the legislation after learning of an Illinois case involving a teacher and coach who was caught secretly recording students in a bathroom but was not required to register as a sex offender. That individual went on to reoffend, and incidents like these continue to happen across Illinois.
While the specific circumstances of the Mundelein case will be determined through the legal process, Hills said the arrest underscores the need to address the gap in Illinois law. We cannot wait for another child to be victimized before closing this loophole in our law.
“When I introduced this legislation, I knew we needed to act. Now, we’re seeing allegations of this nature right here in our own community,” Hills said. “I represent these families, and I take my responsibility to protect our children seriously. I will continue fighting to close this loophole and make sure Illinois law holds those who sexually exploit children accountable.”
Senate Bill 2381 advanced to third reading in the Senate with bipartisan support but was not called for a vote during the previous legislative session. It now remains in the assignments committee.
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