Award-winning chemistry teacher Michael Avara recently resigned from Dupo High School.

Avara won a Teacher of the Year award for the 2018-19 school year at DHS.

Mike Avara

He was also one of 25 recent recipients of an advanced placement grant from The National Society of High School Scholars.

The school district would not comment about Avara’s resignation, which the Dupo Board of Education accepted at its Jan. 29 meeting.

“The board accepted his voluntary resignation,” was all Dupo Superintendent of Schools Kelly Carpenter would say on the matter.

The Republic-Times could not verify reports circulating on social media that Avara’s resignation had to do with an incident that took place in his classroom.

The Republic-Times contacted Avara, the Illinois Federation of Teachers,  the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education, parents, students and school officials to try and learn more about the situation, but received no response or a decline to comment in reply.