Batavia High School teacher John Dryden retires from school district

BATAVIA – Batavia High School social studies teacher John Dryden, who made local and national headlines last year when he instructed his students that they had the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves before answering an in-class survey about emotional and at-risk behavior, has retired from the district.

Dryden contacted Batavia School District 101 officials on Wednesday about wanting to retire. Wednesday was his last day with the district.

On Friday, he formally submitted his retirement letter, said Steve Pearce, the district's assistant superintendent of human resources. Dryden was in his 21st year of service for the school district, Pearce said. The Batavia School Board is set to vote on his retirement agreement during a special meeting Monday.

"We wish Mr. Dryden well in the next phase of his life," Pearce said. "He is closing the chapter on this part of his career."

The Batavia School District 101 board in May 2013 voted to issue a written warning of improper conduct to Dryden for his actions.

Board member Jon Gaspar was the sole board member to vote "no."

The notice warned Dryden not to provide legal advice to students, among other things.

Before the board issued the notice, then-Batavia School Superintendent Jack Barshinger docked Dryden a day's pay.

Dryden said his actions represented "a teachable moment."

"Reminding my students they had a Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves and asking them to think hard about how they answered questions on a survey on which they were identified and required to answer questions about whether they participated in criminal activity was neither inappropriate nor unprofessional," Dryden stated in his reply to the school district.

Barshinger had said that students can't incriminate themselves.

"The information is protected by the Illinois and federal student records act," Barshinger said at the time. "We won't give it to law enforcement. That was never the intent."

Barshinger had said students' names were put on the surveys to help identify those students who need help.

All high school students were given a 34-question survey April 18 during their third-block classes that would evaluate their social-emotional perceptions.