NORMAL - Five former students of Jon Andrew White will be interviewed this week about what authorities suspect was abuse they experienced as first-graders when White was a teacher at two Normal elementary schools.

White, 26, was charged last week with the predatory criminal sexual assault of three students at the Thomas Paine School in Urbana.

Normal Assistant Police Chief Kirk Ijams said Thursday that the Children's Advocacy Center will assist with the interviews of the five children. The meetings with the children will include prosecutors, police detectives and center personnel trained in dealing with children who are potential sexual abuse victims.

"As of now, we are in the investigative stages. We can't confirm or rule out anything. We've got a couple pieces of a puzzle," said Ijams.

Unit 5 officials are cooperating with police in their investigation into White's classroom conduct when he was a first-grade teacher at Colene Hoose and Brigham elementary schools from 2002 to 2005.

Unit 5 Superintendent Alan Chapman said this week that no complaints or allegations were leveled against White during or since his tenure with the district.

The parents of the five children scheduled to meet with the advocacy center contacted police after White was charged in Urbana, said Ijams. Most of the calls came from parents of girls but at least one boy also is involved.

Champaign County investigators are continuing their probe into allegations against White. The three Class X felony counts accuse White of forcing three girls, ages 7 and 8, to perform sex acts on him in his classroom be-tween September and December 2006.

If convicted of two or more of the charges, the former teacher faces life in prison

White is free after posting $50,000 bond. His next court appearance is Feb. 27 in Urbana.

Ijams asked parents who may have information in the White case to contact Detective Brian Eggleston at (309) 433-3439.