Two Evanston/Skokie school employees charged on child sex crimes: officials

EVANSTON, Ill. - Two Evanston/Skokie School District 65 employees have been charged with sex crimes against children, according to court documents.

What we know:

Carlos Mendez, assistant principal at Washington Elementary, and Maribel Flores-Hernandez, a paraprofessional at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, were arrested on Feb. 5.

According to documents, Mendez was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child, domestic battery and being on the run from a warrant in a different state. The documents say Mendez allegedly sexually abused a minor, a family member of Flores-Hernandez, for two years.

Flores-Hernandez has been accused of cooperating with the abuse and has been charged with criminal sexual assault of a minor.

The two have also been accused of sexually abusing a different minor relative in Miami.

Their next court date is scheduled for Feb. 25. They will remain in custody until then.

The other side:

According to the school district, Mendez and Flores-Hernandez are on leaves of absence from their positions. 

The district says the allegations are not related to their "professional responsibilities and do not involved any District 65 students."

"The safety and wellbeing of our community remains our highest priority. While these allegations are deeply concerning, this is a personnel matter and we are unable to share additional details at this time," District 65 said in a statement.