Student dragged by teacher speaks about ordeal (video)
In August 2014, Sandra Garcia of Edison High School in Stockton Unified was dragged by teacher Denny Peterson. He was placed on paid leave for a month, then sent to work at an elementary school.
Showing posts with label authority figures abusing children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label authority figures abusing children. Show all posts
Thursday, December 04, 2014
Sunday, March 09, 2014
From the Dumb Teacher files: What is it about swimming pools that makes teachers act stupid?
Kayona Hagen-Tietz of Como Park High School in St. Paul
I had my own experience with swimming pool weirdness with Castle Park Elementary teachers in 2001.
School Slammed For Forcing Girl To Stand Half-Naked In Sub-Zero Temperatures
By: Robert Porter
Issue Hawk
March 5, 2014
A Minnesota school has come under fire for forcing a wet and half-naked student to stand outside in sub-zero temperatures. Fourteen-year-old Kayona Hagen-Tietz developed frostbite after being shepherded outside from a swimming class when the school’s fire alarm went off. A teacher at Como Park Senior High School in St. Paul told her that there was no time for her to get her clothes or towel from the locker and rushed her outside while still wet in a swimsuit. The temperature outside was -5 degrees that day and was -25 degrees with the windchill.
“When they had seen that, they should have had some kind of protocol,” said the girl’s mother, Eva. “If I had a fire and brought my children out in that condition, you know, I’m sure I would be charged in some way or another if I didn’t instantly bring them into a neighbor’s house or someplace else. The ultimate goal is to keep them safe and protect your children, and, in this instance, they did a really poor job.”
Eva declined to pursue legal action against the school, but also wants them to issue a public apology and reexamine their fire policies. The school district issued a statement saying they regularly review such policies and intend to do so again in the future, which the school’s principal declined to comment on the scandal.
Saturday, September 07, 2013
Teen Testifies Ex-Teacher Molested Him After School at Chula Vista Elementary School District [Kinloch post #5]
John Raymond Kinloch (Photo from Crime Voice.com)
See all posts regarding CVESD teacher John Raymond Kinloch.
See also "California Teachers Association protects child molesting teacher."
UPDATE SEPT. 7, 2013:
It would be nice if Chula Vista Elementary School District were as forthcoming with documents as it wants other agencies to be. For example, it would be appropriate for CVESD to provide the police with documentation of any suspensions it may have imposed on Mr. Kinlock in previous years. The second story below states, "It wasn't until he was in 7th grade that the alleged victim spoke out." That was five years ago. So why did CVESD keep Kinloch in the classroom for several more years, until the police stepped in and arrested him?
Teacher to be tried in child sex case
U-T San Diego
Anthony Millican, spokesman for the Chula Vista Elementary School District, said the district has made two requests for records from the U.S. Department of ...
ORIGINAL POST:
Teen Testifies Ex-Teacher Molested Him After School
By Sherene Tagharobi and R. Stickney
NBC 7
Sep 5, 2013
A young man testified in graphic detail Thursday, describing how he was molested by a former teacher after school in the classroom of a Chula Vista charter school.
Former teacher John Kinloch was arrested in November 2012 as part of a national child pornography bust, accused of posing as a 13-year-old girl to befriend boys ages 12 to 16 through a website.
At the time of his arrest on child molestation charges and child pornography charges, the 41-year-old had been teaching for 14 years and had passed background checks designed to protect students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
The alleged victim, identified in court as “John Doe 1”, met the defendant when he was a student in Kinloch’s 2nd grade class at Feaster Charter School on Flower Street.
The 7-year-old would often hang out in the teacher’s classroom every day until about 6 p.m. according to the teen's testimony. The two would sometimes go out to dinner together. After, the student would walk home or Kinloch would drive him home, he said.
Then, when the child was in 3rd grade, “John Doe 1” said Kinloch asked him to take off his clothes. The teenager testified he didn't want to do it but didn't want to get his former teacher upset.
“He told me that if I truly cared about him that I would get naked and he told me that his friends told him it was the best way for someone to show that they cared about someone,” the alleged victim testified Thursday.
The alleged victim, now 17, didn’t make eye contact with the defendant while testifying. Kinloch shook his head as if in disagreement with what the teenager was saying several times during the testimony.
“I didn’t want to whatsoever but he just kept dragging it on and sort of getting aggravated where he’d sigh deeply and show that he was getting sort of mad so I didn’t want to make him too upset so I did,” the teenager testified.
The abuse continued as the child moved into the 4th grade with the defendant allegedly asking the child to expose himself “many times” but touching the boy’s genitals only occasionally, according to testimony.
The teenager stated the alleged molestation happened on school grounds at least twice when the classroom door was locked. The molestation continued for five to six years the teenager testified.
He lived at home with his mother and two sisters at the time. He said his father was never around much. The teenager testified that he started hanging out with Kinloch because he thought he was cool.
The teacher and his former student would tell each other “I love you” when others weren't around the teen testified.
It wasn't until he was in 7th grade that the alleged victim spoke out. He said he kept hanging out with Kinloch because he wanted to get past it and would attempt to delay the act of undressing when asked.
He admired Kinloch for other things and said the former teacher taught him manners and how to be a good person.
Under cross-examination, the teenager said he read several news accounts of Kinloch’s arrest and was angry about the allegations.
“John Doe 1” was the first of three alleged victims who were expected to testify in the case against the former teacher.
Kinloch faces an additional 12 counts of lewd acts with a child under the age of 18 involving a second alleged victim. The allegations involve situations that happened between August and December of 2012, investigators said. The alleged victim was under the age of 13 and not a student.
He also faces six additional lewd act charges involving a third victim who was 14 or 15 between 1996 and 1998 when he alleges inappropriate contact. The incident allegedly occurred when Kinloch was 24 or 25 and not working as a teacher.
Kinloch was teaching first grade at Wolf Canyon Elementary School at the time of his arrest. He was placed on unpaid leave of absence during criminal proceedings.
If convicted of all charges, Kinloch faces 450 years to life in prison.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Teacher who had sex with 14-year-old who later killed herself gets 31 days in jail while taxpayers pay $91,000
Does this look like the face of a person with the sexual sophistication of a fourteen-year-old? This teacher, and the judge in his case, apparently agreed that since 14-year-old girl had already had sex, the teacher wouldn't be causing any more harm by getting a piece of the action. Others think the teacher took advantage of a disturbed child who ended up killing herself. I wonder if he could have made a difference if he had involved himself in her life in a more positive way.
UPDATE Sept. 6, 2013: Judge not allowed to change 30-day sentence
UPDATE: New opinion piece by Meteor Blades
Unfit judge rules rape victim who killed herself 'was as much in control of the situation' as rapist
by Meteor Blades
Daily Kos
Aug 28, 2013
Outrage is growing against a Billings, Montana, judge who handed down a 30-day sentence to a rapist teacher and said the victim, who had killed herself, "was as much in control of the situation" as the teacher—35 years her senior at the time—because she was “older than her chronological age.” Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence in the case, with 10 years suspended. District Judge G. Todd Baugh imposed a 15-year sentence and suspended all but 31 days of it, with one day credited for time already served. The judge noted that the crime "did not warrant a lengthy sentence."
Whatever other rulings the 66-year-old Baugh has made during his time on the bench, that one makes him unfit to serve a single day longer.
The outrage began when the girl's mother, Auliea Hanlon, upon hearing the judge's ruling, stormed out of the courtroom repeatedly screaming "You people suck!" She had testified that the sexual relationship between her 14-year-old daughter and high school teacher Stacey Dean Rambold, then 49, had been a major factor in the girl's suicide a few weeks before her 17th birthday. Talk of the case on the internet and coverage in various traditional media have multiplied Hanlon's outrage far and wide.
Organizers plan a rally and protest for Thursday in a park next to the Yellowstone County Courthouse against District Judge G. Todd Baugh. A petition seeking his removal from the bench has been post online.
The case began in 2008 when Stacey Rambold, now 54, a high school teacher who four years earlier had been warned not to touch or be alone with female students, was discovered to be having a relationship with Cherice Morales, a 14-year-old student. He was arrested and initially pleaded guilty to a single felony charge. He was placed on paid leave from his teaching job, soon resigned and was forced to give up his teaching credential. In October 2008, he was charged with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent. The age of consent in Montana is 16. But before the case came to trial, Cherice killed herself, complicating things for the prosecution.
A settlement was reached. Rambold was granted deferred prosecution and ordered to complete a sexual offender treatment program after which the charges would be dropped. He finished the first two of the program's three phases. But then he stopped coming to sessions. It was learned that he was having unsupervised visits with minors and had begun a sexual relationship with an adult without telling the program's supervisors. "The violations were serious enough when taken together to kick Rambold out of the program, although it was learned that the minors Rambold was visiting were family members." Of course, sexual offenders never ever prey on family members...
Former teacher in Montana gets 30 days in jail for raping student who later committed suicide
By Associated Press
August 27, 2013
BILLINGS, Mont. — A former Billings Senior High School teacher who pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old student who later killed herself has been sentenced to 30 days in jail by a judge who said the victim was “older than her chronological age” and “as much in control of the situation” as the teacher.
District Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced Stacey Dean Rambold to 15 years in prison for sexual intercourse without consent, with all but 31 days suspended. He gave Rambold credit for one day already served, The Billings Gazette reported (http://bit.ly/1dmuHZo ).
The girl’s mother repeatedly screamed, “You people suck!” and stormed out of the courtroom Monday.
Rambold, now 54, was charged in October 2008 with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent alleging that he had an ongoing sexual relationship with Cherice Morales, starting the previous year when she was 14.
Morales took her own life in February 2010 while the case was pending.
In July 2010, Rambold entered a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with prosecutors that said the charges would be dismissed if Rambold completed a sex offender treatment program and met other conditions, including having no contact with children. He also admitted to one rape charge.
The case was revived last December when prosecutors learned Rambold had been terminated from the sex offender treatment program.
Treatment provider Michael Sullivan said Rambold started missing meetings in August 2012, but Sullivan said he met with Rambold and he appeared to be back on track with his treatment.
Rambold was terminated from the program in November when it was learned that he had been having unsupervised visits with minors, who were family members, and did not inform counselors that he had been having sexual relations with a woman.v Defense attorney Jay Lansing said Rambold has since continued his treatment with a different program and an evaluation found him at low risk to re-offend.
Baugh said he was not convinced that the reasons for Rambold’s termination from treatment were serious enough to warrant the 10-year prison term prosecutors recommended.v The judge said he listened to statements given by Morales before her death and believed that while she was a troubled youth, she was “as much in control of the situation” as Rambold and was “older than her chronological age.”
Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he would not appeal the judge’s sentence.
“We respect the court’s sentencing decision. We obviously disagree with it, based on the recommendations my attorneys made, but it appears to be legally permissible,” he said.
Asked about Baugh’s reasoning that a 14-year-old girl below the state’s age of consent had an equal share of control of the relationship, Twito declined to answer directly.
“The judge’s reasons are his reasons and his reasons alone. He has broad authority under state law, given the proper criteria,” Twito said.
The case resulted in a $91,000 wrongful death settlement between the school district and Morales’ family.
Rambold reached a confidential settlement with the girl’s family.
Mont. judge apologizes for comments in teen's rape
By MATT VOLZ and MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press
August 28, 2013
ILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana judge apologized Wednesday for saying a 14-year-old rape victim was "older than her chronological age" and had as much control of the situation as the teacher who raped her — remarks that prompted protests and a petition for his resignation.
District Judge G. Todd Baugh made the comments Monday while sentencing former Billings Senior High School teacher Stacey Rambold to a 15-year prison sentence then suspending all but 31 days and giving him credit for one day already served.
...Faced with backlash over his comments and the sentence that protesters considered too light, Baugh wrote an apology in a brief letter to the editor to The Billings Gazette. The newspaper provided a copy of the apology to The Associated Press.
"I'm not sure just what I was attempting to say but it did not come out correct," he wrote. "What I said is demeaning of all women, not what I believe and irrelevant to the sentencing. My apologies to all my fellow citizens."
"I will add an addendum to the court file to hopefully better explain the sentence," he added.
A protest scheduled for Thursday outside Yellowstone County Courthouse will go on despite the apology, said organizer Sheena Rice, stressing that it's important for the community to show it is not going to stand for victim blaming.
"I'm glad he apologized, but he should have known better as a judge," Rice said. "The fact that he said it makes me think he still believes it."
A petition will be circulated at the protest calling for Baugh's resignation. An online version of the petition had more than 8,500 signatures by Wednesday morning.
If the petition and protest aren't enough to force Baugh's resignation, protesters will shift to defeating him in the 2014 election, Rice said.
He was first elected to the bench in 1984 and has been re-elected every six years since then without an opponent.
Rambold was charged in October 2008 with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent after authorities alleged he had an ongoing sexual relationship with Cherice Moralez, starting the previous year when she was 14. Moralez killed herself in 2010 at age 16 while the case was pending.
The girl's mother, Auleia Hanlon, said in a statement to the Gazette that she no longer believes in justice after Baugh's sentence and remarks about her daughter.
"She wasn't even old enough to get a driver's license. But Judge Baugh, who never met our daughter, justified the paltry sentence saying she was older than her chronological age," Hanlon said. "I guess somehow it makes a rape more acceptable if you blame the victim, even if she was only 14."
Under state law, children younger than 16 cannot consent to sexual intercourse.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
McQueary files whistle-blower and defamation lawsuit in Penn State Jerry Sandusky case
Ex-Penn State assistant wants firing decision date
Seattle PI
May 25, 2013
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former Penn State assistant football coach who was a key witness in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case is disputing the university's assertion that he was fired as part of a routine changing of the guard under a new head football coach.
Former assistant coach Mike McQueary has filed a whistleblower and defamation lawsuit against Penn State alleging that statements made in 2011 by then-university president Graham Spanier after charges were filed in the Sandusky case made McQueary look untruthful. The university tried unsuccessfully last month to have the lawsuit thrown out, but a judge ruled that the allegations of "outrageous conduct" on the part of the school are sufficient to keep it alive.
The university has maintained that new head coach Bill O'Brien simply didn't rehire McQueary after his contract expired at the end of June 2012, and it was no different from the turnover of scores of college assistants every year, The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News (http://bit.ly/ZksKX2) reported.
But a response by McQueary filed Friday in Centre County court said he had been employed since 2004 "with no specified ending date," and even if the contract ended last year, "strict proof" is required of when the decision to terminate him was made.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Ex-Penn-State-assistant-wants-firing-decision-date-4548746.php#ixzz2UMgpXJdp
Seattle PI
May 25, 2013
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former Penn State assistant football coach who was a key witness in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case is disputing the university's assertion that he was fired as part of a routine changing of the guard under a new head football coach.
Former assistant coach Mike McQueary has filed a whistleblower and defamation lawsuit against Penn State alleging that statements made in 2011 by then-university president Graham Spanier after charges were filed in the Sandusky case made McQueary look untruthful. The university tried unsuccessfully last month to have the lawsuit thrown out, but a judge ruled that the allegations of "outrageous conduct" on the part of the school are sufficient to keep it alive.
The university has maintained that new head coach Bill O'Brien simply didn't rehire McQueary after his contract expired at the end of June 2012, and it was no different from the turnover of scores of college assistants every year, The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News (http://bit.ly/ZksKX2) reported.
But a response by McQueary filed Friday in Centre County court said he had been employed since 2004 "with no specified ending date," and even if the contract ended last year, "strict proof" is required of when the decision to terminate him was made.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Ex-Penn-State-assistant-wants-firing-decision-date-4548746.php#ixzz2UMgpXJdp
Saturday, April 06, 2013
Charges filed regarding a third child molestation victim of Chula Vista Elementary School District teacher Raymond Kinloch
John Raymond Kinloch remains employed by Chula Vista Elementary School District. CVESD has a long history of NOT investigating complaints about teachers, even when other teachers report that they fear the teacher will come to school and shoot everybody.
See all posts re John Raymond Kinloch.
New Charges for Wolf Canyon Teacher John Kinloch
On Thursday, prosecutors charged Kinloch with six additional lewd act charges involving a third alleged victim
By R. Stickney
NBC News
Apr 5, 2013
A Chula Vista elementary school teacher, accused of child molestation and possessing child pornography, was charged Thursday with new criminal charges involving a third possible victim officials said.
John Kinloch, 41, was arrested in November 2012 as part of a nationwide child pornography investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
He is accused of posing as a 13-year-old girl to befriend boys ages 12 to 16 through a website known as “MeetMe.”
Kinloch allegedly tried to convince the boys to share nude photos over the Internet according to investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He was also accused of selling and or sending obscene materials to others.
Since his arrest, the first grade teacher at Wolf Canyon Elementary School has been charged with several allegations of child molestation or lewd acts with children ranging from 8 to 15 years old.
Prosecutor Enrique Camarena said the defendant took advantage of an 8 or 9-year-old boy in 2004 when he was a teacher at Feaster Charter School. The alleged victim was a boy with whom the teacher had developed a close relationship with inside and outside the classroom Camarena said.
In February, 12 counts of lewd acts with a child under the age of 18 were added involving a second alleged victim occurring between August and December of 2012. This alleged victim was under the age of 13 and not a student according to Camarena.
Then on Thursday, prosecutors charged Kinloch with six additional lewd act charges involving a third victim. Camarena said the alleged victim was 14 or 15 between 1996 and 1998 when he alleges inappropriate contact. The incident allegedly occurred when Kinloch was 24 or 25 and was not working as a teacher...
See all posts re John Raymond Kinloch.
New Charges for Wolf Canyon Teacher John Kinloch
On Thursday, prosecutors charged Kinloch with six additional lewd act charges involving a third alleged victim
By R. Stickney
NBC News
Apr 5, 2013
A Chula Vista elementary school teacher, accused of child molestation and possessing child pornography, was charged Thursday with new criminal charges involving a third possible victim officials said.
John Kinloch, 41, was arrested in November 2012 as part of a nationwide child pornography investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
He is accused of posing as a 13-year-old girl to befriend boys ages 12 to 16 through a website known as “MeetMe.”
Kinloch allegedly tried to convince the boys to share nude photos over the Internet according to investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He was also accused of selling and or sending obscene materials to others.
Since his arrest, the first grade teacher at Wolf Canyon Elementary School has been charged with several allegations of child molestation or lewd acts with children ranging from 8 to 15 years old.
Prosecutor Enrique Camarena said the defendant took advantage of an 8 or 9-year-old boy in 2004 when he was a teacher at Feaster Charter School. The alleged victim was a boy with whom the teacher had developed a close relationship with inside and outside the classroom Camarena said.
In February, 12 counts of lewd acts with a child under the age of 18 were added involving a second alleged victim occurring between August and December of 2012. This alleged victim was under the age of 13 and not a student according to Camarena.
Then on Thursday, prosecutors charged Kinloch with six additional lewd act charges involving a third victim. Camarena said the alleged victim was 14 or 15 between 1996 and 1998 when he alleges inappropriate contact. The incident allegedly occurred when Kinloch was 24 or 25 and was not working as a teacher...
Friday, April 05, 2013
Retired Teacher: School Officials Knew About Sexual Abuse, Did Nothing
School districts in general dislike people who makes waves. The goal is to present a calm surface to the community. Also, most teachers don't like anyone who challenges their political hierarchy. Dan Witters probably benefited from both of these tendencies.
Very similar things happened in my district, Chula Vista Elementary (CVESD). Recently I learned of yet another cover-up. Then-Asst. Supt. Dennis Doyle mentioned to parents in 2001 that a teacher abused a student, then the whole matter was dropped.
Here's a similar story that happened in a police department. A whistleblower was fired for revealing that witnesses had received inadequate protection, resulting in a murder.
Retired Teacher: School Officials Knew About Sexual Abuse, Did Nothing
Carol Buchanan tried to come forward in the 1990s, but was punished for it
By Cheryl Hurd
NBC News
Mar 29, 2013
Carol Buchanan, a former Moraga School District teacher, tried to alert schools officials of sexual abuse in the 1990s, but was ignored, punished. Cheryl Hurd reports.
Carol Buchanan is a retired teacher who taught in the Moraga School District.
Now she may become best known as a whistleblower in the sexual abuse case involving now University of California at Berkeley swim coach, Kristen Cunnane.
“Why didn’t somebody listen? What else could I have done?" Buchanan asked. “I do feel guilty in hindsight. If this happened today, there would be no problem. I would immediately go to (Child Protective Services).”
Buchannan said in the 1990s, students told her that a popular science teacher, Dan Witters, was sexually abusing them, and she complained to administrators.
She says the district wasn’t responding to her complaints and, after a 25-year career with the district, she wasn’t fired -- but they strongly suggested that she take a leave of absence.
She did.
Buchanan says she felt vindicated when Cunnane publicly came forward last year. She was a middle school student decades ago, and is now a 30-year-old swim coach at UC Berkeley. Her story has gone quite public, and she also claims that Witters Witters and a second female teacher abused her.
“My husband came running in when he heard me just screaming that I knew it I knew it why didn’t somebody do something," Buchanan said.
After finding out about Buchannan, Cunnane released this statement, saying in part: “I can’t believe how many people at the school knew about the sexual abuse and how many warnings the district ignored. To find out that there was someone at the school actually trying to help us and that she got punished for it is incredible.”
A recent article written about Buchannan’s allegation pointed out hat it failed to find documents to corroborate her story but superintendent Bruce Burns says the district is still looking.
Very similar things happened in my district, Chula Vista Elementary (CVESD). Recently I learned of yet another cover-up. Then-Asst. Supt. Dennis Doyle mentioned to parents in 2001 that a teacher abused a student, then the whole matter was dropped.
Here's a similar story that happened in a police department. A whistleblower was fired for revealing that witnesses had received inadequate protection, resulting in a murder.
Retired Teacher: School Officials Knew About Sexual Abuse, Did Nothing
Carol Buchanan tried to come forward in the 1990s, but was punished for it
By Cheryl Hurd
NBC News
Mar 29, 2013
Carol Buchanan, a former Moraga School District teacher, tried to alert schools officials of sexual abuse in the 1990s, but was ignored, punished. Cheryl Hurd reports.
Carol Buchanan is a retired teacher who taught in the Moraga School District.
Now she may become best known as a whistleblower in the sexual abuse case involving now University of California at Berkeley swim coach, Kristen Cunnane.
“Why didn’t somebody listen? What else could I have done?" Buchanan asked. “I do feel guilty in hindsight. If this happened today, there would be no problem. I would immediately go to (Child Protective Services).”
Buchannan said in the 1990s, students told her that a popular science teacher, Dan Witters, was sexually abusing them, and she complained to administrators.
She says the district wasn’t responding to her complaints and, after a 25-year career with the district, she wasn’t fired -- but they strongly suggested that she take a leave of absence.
She did.
Buchanan says she felt vindicated when Cunnane publicly came forward last year. She was a middle school student decades ago, and is now a 30-year-old swim coach at UC Berkeley. Her story has gone quite public, and she also claims that Witters Witters and a second female teacher abused her.
“My husband came running in when he heard me just screaming that I knew it I knew it why didn’t somebody do something," Buchanan said.
After finding out about Buchannan, Cunnane released this statement, saying in part: “I can’t believe how many people at the school knew about the sexual abuse and how many warnings the district ignored. To find out that there was someone at the school actually trying to help us and that she got punished for it is incredible.”
A recent article written about Buchannan’s allegation pointed out hat it failed to find documents to corroborate her story but superintendent Bruce Burns says the district is still looking.
Monday, February 25, 2013
San Diego County teacher of the year finalist arrested for sex crimes
Smith was one of ten finalists for Teacher of the Year in San Diego County this year.
Arraignment Canceled for Chula Vista Teacher Accused of Sex Crimes
Prosecutors did not file charges Wednesday against the freshman English teacher accused of engaging in sexual activity with a teen on school grounds
By Artie Ojeda, Lauren Steussy, R. Stickney and Monica Garske
NBC 7 San Diego
Nov 1, 2012
The scheduled arraignment of a Chula Vista High School teacher accused of having sex with a minor was canceled as prosecutors considered whether to press charges.
Terrance Smith, 32, was arrested Monday and accused of 14 charges of sexual abuse, including oral copulation on a female CVHS student, said Lt. Gary Wedge with the Chula Vista Police Department.
However, just before a scheduled arraignment, prosecutors canceled the hearing saying the charges are still under review.
No charges have been filed against Smith as of 1 p.m. Wednesday.
“At the very least it's encouraging they are doing their homework instead of making a rush to judgment," said Smith's defense attorney David Shapiro in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The alleged activity happened between 2006 and 2008, starting when the victim was 16 years old, according to the victim's mother, who reported Smith to police this week. The former student was not his student and is no longer a minor, Wedge said Tuesday.
"We interviewed the former student," Wedge said. "She is now an adult, and during that interview she disclosed a number of sexual acts that occurred over a two year period."
...Smith, right, taught 9th grade English and was one of ten finalists for Teacher of the Year in San Diego County this year.
Smith has been placed on paid administrative leave after being turned over to police at the Sweetwater Union High School District offices, district officials said.
"We can't believe someone like Mr. Smith would do that," said Josue Garcia, a former student of Smith's. "The way we know him, the way he is, we would always go to him for advice and everything. We never thought he would do that."
The students have also expressed their support on social media, calling for other students to attend the rally and wear white in support of Smith.
Since the District Attorney's office did not charge Smith on Wednesday, he was released from San Diego Central Jail.
On Wednesday night, he was able to return home with his family. Smith was able to avoid NBC 7 news cameras as he left jail.
Source: Arraignment Canceled for Chula Vista Teacher Accused of Sex Crimes | NBC 7 San Diego
Arraignment Canceled for Chula Vista Teacher Accused of Sex Crimes
Prosecutors did not file charges Wednesday against the freshman English teacher accused of engaging in sexual activity with a teen on school grounds
By Artie Ojeda, Lauren Steussy, R. Stickney and Monica Garske
NBC 7 San Diego
Nov 1, 2012
The scheduled arraignment of a Chula Vista High School teacher accused of having sex with a minor was canceled as prosecutors considered whether to press charges.
Terrance Smith, 32, was arrested Monday and accused of 14 charges of sexual abuse, including oral copulation on a female CVHS student, said Lt. Gary Wedge with the Chula Vista Police Department.
However, just before a scheduled arraignment, prosecutors canceled the hearing saying the charges are still under review.
No charges have been filed against Smith as of 1 p.m. Wednesday.
“At the very least it's encouraging they are doing their homework instead of making a rush to judgment," said Smith's defense attorney David Shapiro in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The alleged activity happened between 2006 and 2008, starting when the victim was 16 years old, according to the victim's mother, who reported Smith to police this week. The former student was not his student and is no longer a minor, Wedge said Tuesday.
"We interviewed the former student," Wedge said. "She is now an adult, and during that interview she disclosed a number of sexual acts that occurred over a two year period."
...Smith, right, taught 9th grade English and was one of ten finalists for Teacher of the Year in San Diego County this year.
Smith has been placed on paid administrative leave after being turned over to police at the Sweetwater Union High School District offices, district officials said.
"We can't believe someone like Mr. Smith would do that," said Josue Garcia, a former student of Smith's. "The way we know him, the way he is, we would always go to him for advice and everything. We never thought he would do that."
The students have also expressed their support on social media, calling for other students to attend the rally and wear white in support of Smith.
Since the District Attorney's office did not charge Smith on Wednesday, he was released from San Diego Central Jail.
On Wednesday night, he was able to return home with his family. Smith was able to avoid NBC 7 news cameras as he left jail.
Source: Arraignment Canceled for Chula Vista Teacher Accused of Sex Crimes | NBC 7 San Diego
Friday, October 05, 2012
3 New Jersey high school teachers, 2 administrators charged with student sex or cover-up
3 NJ high school teachers, 2 administrators charged with student sex or cover-up
By Associated Press
October 4, 2012
RUNNEMEDE, N.J. — A student at Triton High School went to Principal Catherine DePaul six months ago with a disturbing story: She believed another student was involved in a sexual relationship with a teacher, and she had seen explicit text messages the two exchanged.
At that moment, prosecutors say, a cover-up was put in motion that unraveled Thursday when DePaul, an assistant principal and three teachers were charged with offenses ranging from child endangerment to sexual assault and official misconduct.
The teachers — all men in their late 20s or early 30s — are accused of striking up relationships with female students during the 2011-2012 school year. Each of the five adults has been suspended from the school in the Philadelphia suburb of Runnemede, and each could face at least five years in prison if convicted.
Sexual relationships between teachers and students are not unheard of. Camden County prosecutor Warren Faulk noted that the media seem particularly fixated on the female teacher-male student cases that are reported around the country each year.
But what distinguished the allegations at Triton High was the inaction by administrators who ignored policies and safeguards that were in place and instead allowed a culture “where teachers thought they could get away with improper relationships with their students,” Faulk said.
Waiting outside the school Friday for her grandson, Donna Bresnock concurred.
“When these kids go a principal or vice principal, they’re the ones who they’re relying on,” she said. “Who do they turn to?”
The defendants either could not be reached or did not return messages left by The Associated Press. All five are due in court Thursday.
According to court documents, math teacher Dan Michielli, 27, of Blackwood, had intercourse with a student multiple times during the school year. He is charged with official misconduct, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual conduct.
Gym teacher and boys’ soccer coach Nick Martinelli, 28, of Cherry Hill, is charged with official misconduct involving an 18-year-old. Prosecutors say he touched and kissed the girl when she was a student and had intercourse with her after she graduated in June.
Math teacher and girls’ track coach Jeff Logandro, 32, of Blackwood, is charged with official misconduct, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. A court filing says he inappropriately touched a female student. A student who was not among the alleged victims, told a substitute teacher in April that teachers were “hooking up” with students, authorities say. The sub then told DePaul.
The principal met with the student, who told her she’d been to one of the teacher’s homes with a girl who was involved with him and had seen the explicit text messages, prosecutors say.
DePaul asked her to write an account of what she had heard, and Assistant Principal Jernee Kollock stayed with the student to help her write the statement, even helping her with her grammar — but also making it seem less serious, authorities allege.
Around the same time, Faulk said, DePaul learned one of the teachers had driven an alleged victim and another student to Ocean City in violation of district policy. But, he said, the teacher was merely reprimanded.
DePaul told her bosses about the teacher driving a student, but prosecutors say she never passed along the claims of sex. Instead, authorities say, she told at least one school employee to delete text-message exchanges with a student from his phone. It’s not clear from court documents who the employee was.
DePaul and Kollock were charged with official misconduct. DePaul later said she wished she had been more concerned for the students than the teachers, Faulk said.
The teachers were suspended last month by the Black Horse Regional School District; the administrators were suspended Thursday. Superintendent John Golden said in a statement that the district was cooperating with authorities, notifying families of students of the allegations and offering counseling.
“In addition, we have initiated a comprehensive review of our existing policies, protocols and training and education materials to prevent this from happening again at this or any district school,” the statement said.
[Maura Larkins comment: Most school districts seem to have a code of silence to protect politically-connected teachers and administrators. The culture has to change, or the policies are meaningless.]
By Associated Press
October 4, 2012
RUNNEMEDE, N.J. — A student at Triton High School went to Principal Catherine DePaul six months ago with a disturbing story: She believed another student was involved in a sexual relationship with a teacher, and she had seen explicit text messages the two exchanged.
At that moment, prosecutors say, a cover-up was put in motion that unraveled Thursday when DePaul, an assistant principal and three teachers were charged with offenses ranging from child endangerment to sexual assault and official misconduct.
The teachers — all men in their late 20s or early 30s — are accused of striking up relationships with female students during the 2011-2012 school year. Each of the five adults has been suspended from the school in the Philadelphia suburb of Runnemede, and each could face at least five years in prison if convicted.
Sexual relationships between teachers and students are not unheard of. Camden County prosecutor Warren Faulk noted that the media seem particularly fixated on the female teacher-male student cases that are reported around the country each year.
But what distinguished the allegations at Triton High was the inaction by administrators who ignored policies and safeguards that were in place and instead allowed a culture “where teachers thought they could get away with improper relationships with their students,” Faulk said.
Waiting outside the school Friday for her grandson, Donna Bresnock concurred.
“When these kids go a principal or vice principal, they’re the ones who they’re relying on,” she said. “Who do they turn to?”
The defendants either could not be reached or did not return messages left by The Associated Press. All five are due in court Thursday.
According to court documents, math teacher Dan Michielli, 27, of Blackwood, had intercourse with a student multiple times during the school year. He is charged with official misconduct, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual conduct.
Gym teacher and boys’ soccer coach Nick Martinelli, 28, of Cherry Hill, is charged with official misconduct involving an 18-year-old. Prosecutors say he touched and kissed the girl when she was a student and had intercourse with her after she graduated in June.
Math teacher and girls’ track coach Jeff Logandro, 32, of Blackwood, is charged with official misconduct, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. A court filing says he inappropriately touched a female student. A student who was not among the alleged victims, told a substitute teacher in April that teachers were “hooking up” with students, authorities say. The sub then told DePaul.
The principal met with the student, who told her she’d been to one of the teacher’s homes with a girl who was involved with him and had seen the explicit text messages, prosecutors say.
DePaul asked her to write an account of what she had heard, and Assistant Principal Jernee Kollock stayed with the student to help her write the statement, even helping her with her grammar — but also making it seem less serious, authorities allege.
Around the same time, Faulk said, DePaul learned one of the teachers had driven an alleged victim and another student to Ocean City in violation of district policy. But, he said, the teacher was merely reprimanded.
DePaul told her bosses about the teacher driving a student, but prosecutors say she never passed along the claims of sex. Instead, authorities say, she told at least one school employee to delete text-message exchanges with a student from his phone. It’s not clear from court documents who the employee was.
DePaul and Kollock were charged with official misconduct. DePaul later said she wished she had been more concerned for the students than the teachers, Faulk said.
The teachers were suspended last month by the Black Horse Regional School District; the administrators were suspended Thursday. Superintendent John Golden said in a statement that the district was cooperating with authorities, notifying families of students of the allegations and offering counseling.
“In addition, we have initiated a comprehensive review of our existing policies, protocols and training and education materials to prevent this from happening again at this or any district school,” the statement said.
[Maura Larkins comment: Most school districts seem to have a code of silence to protect politically-connected teachers and administrators. The culture has to change, or the policies are meaningless.]
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Key witness in Sandusky sex abuse case sues Penn State for defamation, whistle-blower violations
Key witness in Sandusky sex abuse case sues Penn State
By Ian Simpson
Oct 2, 2012
(Reuters)
A key witness in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal sued Pennsylvania State University on Tuesday for more than $8 million on whistleblower, defamation and misrepresentation grounds.
Mike McQueary, a former Penn State assistant football coach, claimed in the suit filed in Center County Court that he lost his job, was misled and publicly scorned because he had told about one of the attacks.
Sandusky, a retired Penn State football defensive coordinator, was convicted in June on 45 counts of child molestation in a case that riveted national attention on child sexual abuse. Sentencing is set for October 9.
McQueary testified that he saw Sandusky raping a boy in a football locker room in 2001. He told jurors he then told head coach Joe Paterno, Athletic Director Tim Curley and university Vice President Gary Schultz about the incident.
The assault was never reported to police or child welfare officials. McQueary testified about it before a grand jury and Schultz and Curley were charged with perjury and failure to report suspected abuse.
McQueary, a former Penn State quarterback, was placed on administrative leave shortly after Sandusky, Curley and Schultz were charged in November 2011. He later lost his $140,000-a-year job as receivers coach.
McQueary is seeking at least $4 million in damages for alleged defamation arising from then-President Graham Spanier's public support of Schultz and Curley after the charges against them were announced.
He is asking for at least $4 million for misrepresentation because Schultz, who headed the university police, and Curley alle
gedly told him that appropriate action would be taken over the locker room incident. The former coach alleges he lost his job because he cooperated with law enforcement and will be a witness in Curley and Schultz's trial. He is in part seeking reinstatement to his job or payment of lost wages...
Penn State is facing lawsuits from at least three of Sandusky's victims. It said last month it wanted to try to settle suits by the end of the year...
By Ian Simpson
Oct 2, 2012
(Reuters)
A key witness in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal sued Pennsylvania State University on Tuesday for more than $8 million on whistleblower, defamation and misrepresentation grounds.
Mike McQueary, a former Penn State assistant football coach, claimed in the suit filed in Center County Court that he lost his job, was misled and publicly scorned because he had told about one of the attacks.
Sandusky, a retired Penn State football defensive coordinator, was convicted in June on 45 counts of child molestation in a case that riveted national attention on child sexual abuse. Sentencing is set for October 9.
McQueary testified that he saw Sandusky raping a boy in a football locker room in 2001. He told jurors he then told head coach Joe Paterno, Athletic Director Tim Curley and university Vice President Gary Schultz about the incident.
The assault was never reported to police or child welfare officials. McQueary testified about it before a grand jury and Schultz and Curley were charged with perjury and failure to report suspected abuse.
McQueary, a former Penn State quarterback, was placed on administrative leave shortly after Sandusky, Curley and Schultz were charged in November 2011. He later lost his $140,000-a-year job as receivers coach.
McQueary is seeking at least $4 million in damages for alleged defamation arising from then-President Graham Spanier's public support of Schultz and Curley after the charges against them were announced.
He is asking for at least $4 million for misrepresentation because Schultz, who headed the university police, and Curley alle
gedly told him that appropriate action would be taken over the locker room incident. The former coach alleges he lost his job because he cooperated with law enforcement and will be a witness in Curley and Schultz's trial. He is in part seeking reinstatement to his job or payment of lost wages...
Penn State is facing lawsuits from at least three of Sandusky's victims. It said last month it wanted to try to settle suits by the end of the year...
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Priest who knew about abuse and kept quiet given 6-year prison term
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke
Sexual predators in Philadelphia Catholic Churches (and schools!) could not have continued if Msgr. William Lynn had gone to the authorities. Lynn's silence allowed many priests to continue their predation, so it is perhaps appropriate that he got a longer sentence than one priest who abused children. (Of course, there are other cases where it is obvious that the less guilty person got a more severe sentence.)
Philadelphia Monsignor Gets Up to Six Years in Prison
Peter Loftus
Wall Street Journal
July 24, 2012
A Roman Catholic monsignor was sentenced Tuesday to as many as six years in prison for allowing a priest suspected of sexual misconduct with a minor to have continued contact with children.
The penalty for Msgr. William Lynn, 61, came a month after a Philadelphia jury found him guilty of child endangerment. The verdict marked the first time a senior U.S. Church official was convicted of a criminal charge related to allegations of covering up sexual abuse of minors by other priests. Msgr. Lynn, served as secretary for clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004, a job that included investigating abuse allegations lodged against priests in the diocese.
"You knew full well what was right, Monsignor Lynn, but you chose wrong," Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina told the cleric before handing down a sentence of three to six years in a state prison.
Before the judge sentenced him, Msgr. Lynn apologized to the abuse victim at the center of the case. "I did the best with what I could…but the fact is my best was not good enough to stop the harm, and for that, I am sorry." Msgr. Lynn wasn't charged with abusing any children.
His conviction was based on evidence that in the 1990s he recommended a new assignment for a priest, Edward Avery, to live in a rectory near a church school despite having determined that Mr. Avery committed sexual misconduct with a boy several years earlier. In his new assignment, Mr. Avery sexually assaulted a 10-year-old altar boy in 1999; the now-defrocked Mr. Avery is serving 2½ to five years in prison after pleading guilty in March to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and conspiracy.
Monsignor William Lynn, shown in June, was sentenced to six years in prison for allowing a priest suspected of sexual misconduct with a minor to have continued contact with children.
Msgr. Lynn's sentence fell short of the maximum of 3½ to seven years in prison but was above court guidelines of nine to 18 months. Judge Sarmina said she exceeded the guidelines because Msgr. Lynn endangered children who were exposed to Mr. Avery for several years after Msgr. Lynn became aware of the prior abuse allegations against Mr. Avery. She also said Msgr. Lynn facilitated and supported other accused priests, including one she called a "monster in clerical garb."
"A lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crime," said Judge Sarmina.
Victims' advocates and prosecutors were hoping for the maximum but said Tuesday the sentence would still send a message. "The message is clear: Victims have to come first, before institutions," Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said after the sentencing.
Msgr. Lynn's supporters called the sentence excessive, arguing that his hands were tied because his superiors controlled assignments for priests. Some said it was unfair that Mr. Avery, who pleaded guilty to committing abuse, received a lesser prison term than Msgr. Lynn...
Edmund Burke
Sexual predators in Philadelphia Catholic Churches (and schools!) could not have continued if Msgr. William Lynn had gone to the authorities. Lynn's silence allowed many priests to continue their predation, so it is perhaps appropriate that he got a longer sentence than one priest who abused children. (Of course, there are other cases where it is obvious that the less guilty person got a more severe sentence.)
Philadelphia Monsignor Gets Up to Six Years in Prison
Peter Loftus
Wall Street Journal
July 24, 2012
A Roman Catholic monsignor was sentenced Tuesday to as many as six years in prison for allowing a priest suspected of sexual misconduct with a minor to have continued contact with children.
The penalty for Msgr. William Lynn, 61, came a month after a Philadelphia jury found him guilty of child endangerment. The verdict marked the first time a senior U.S. Church official was convicted of a criminal charge related to allegations of covering up sexual abuse of minors by other priests. Msgr. Lynn, served as secretary for clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004, a job that included investigating abuse allegations lodged against priests in the diocese.
"You knew full well what was right, Monsignor Lynn, but you chose wrong," Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina told the cleric before handing down a sentence of three to six years in a state prison.
Before the judge sentenced him, Msgr. Lynn apologized to the abuse victim at the center of the case. "I did the best with what I could…but the fact is my best was not good enough to stop the harm, and for that, I am sorry." Msgr. Lynn wasn't charged with abusing any children.
His conviction was based on evidence that in the 1990s he recommended a new assignment for a priest, Edward Avery, to live in a rectory near a church school despite having determined that Mr. Avery committed sexual misconduct with a boy several years earlier. In his new assignment, Mr. Avery sexually assaulted a 10-year-old altar boy in 1999; the now-defrocked Mr. Avery is serving 2½ to five years in prison after pleading guilty in March to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and conspiracy.
Monsignor William Lynn, shown in June, was sentenced to six years in prison for allowing a priest suspected of sexual misconduct with a minor to have continued contact with children.
Msgr. Lynn's sentence fell short of the maximum of 3½ to seven years in prison but was above court guidelines of nine to 18 months. Judge Sarmina said she exceeded the guidelines because Msgr. Lynn endangered children who were exposed to Mr. Avery for several years after Msgr. Lynn became aware of the prior abuse allegations against Mr. Avery. She also said Msgr. Lynn facilitated and supported other accused priests, including one she called a "monster in clerical garb."
"A lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crime," said Judge Sarmina.
Victims' advocates and prosecutors were hoping for the maximum but said Tuesday the sentence would still send a message. "The message is clear: Victims have to come first, before institutions," Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said after the sentencing.
Msgr. Lynn's supporters called the sentence excessive, arguing that his hands were tied because his superiors controlled assignments for priests. Some said it was unfair that Mr. Avery, who pleaded guilty to committing abuse, received a lesser prison term than Msgr. Lynn...
Saturday, May 05, 2012
San Diego Faculty Supervisor Arrested For Alleged Child Molestation
Faculty Supervisor Arrested For Alleged Child Molestation
Kettrell Berry, a faculty supervisor from the San Diego Children's Center, was arrested on 25 counts of child molestation
By Monica Garske
NBC San Diego
May 5, 2012
A faculty supervisor from the San Diego Center for Children -- a non-profit organization and school for troubled youths in Kearny Mesa -- has been arrested on 25 counts of child molestation, according to Dave McCaslin, CEO of the Center.
According to the sheriff department's jail booking log, Kettrell Berry, 49, was taken into custody Friday for allegedly having sex with children, among several other child molestation charges.
The log confirms Berry has been booked into San Diego Central Jail, where his bail is set at $1,120,500.
His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
On Saturday, McCaslin released a statement regarding Berry's arrest.
"We are saddened by the breach of trust that has occurred. In the Center’s 125 years of service in San Diego we have been a lifeline for over 10,000 children. We took immediate action by contacting the San Diego Police Department and Child Protective Services and have been partnering with them throughout the investigation," said McCaslin.
"The safety of our children is always our first priority and we are taking action to ensure their continued safety. We are committed to helping and protecting children and the action of one person will not deter us from providing the best possible care and hope for these children," he continued.
Student given electric shock for hours at The Judge Rotenberg Center school for disabled kids
Judge Rotenberg Educational Center: Please Stop Painful Electric Shocks on Your Students
Gregory Miller
Berry Creek, CA
At a “special needs school” in Canton, Massachusetts, children and teenagers with autism and other disabilities are being administered electric shocks as a means of controlling their behaviors. As a former Teacher’s Assistant, I regret having participated firsthand at this school - The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC).
The human rights abuses taking place at the JRC are well documented. The United Nations is aware of the JRC and has called these shocks “torture”, and says that “The prohibition of torture is absolute.” Yet the school continues to use a powerfully painful electric shock device on students to control their behaviors. These devices are reportedly much stronger than police stun guns and were created by the founder of the Judge Rotenberg Center.
The Judge Rotenberg Center must immediately stop its practice of shocking special needs students.
Rather than shocking students for only severe behaviors, student behavior plans at JRC dictated that we shock certain students for even the most minor of behavioral issues like closing their eyes for 15 seconds while sitting at the desk, pulling apart a loose piece of thread, tearing an empty used paper cup, or for standing up and raising a hand to ask to go to the bathroom. In some classrooms, very often students who observe their peers being shocked react in fear by standing up out of their seat, yelling or crying, or throwing down their task -- and are then shocked for these reactions.
A non-verbal nearly blind girl with cerebral palsy was shocked as part of her behavioral plan for making a moaning sound and for attempts to hold a staff’s hand (her attempts to communicate and to be loved).
In 2002, 18 year-old Andre McCollins was strapped down and shocked for hours at the JRC. He begged for the shocks to stop and when they did, he was left in a catatonic state for days which resulted in permanent damage. Video of Andre’s shock treatment was sealed until recently and you can view it here.
The JRC’s founder, Dr. Matthew Israel, resigned after being charged with misleading a grand jury by destroying video footage of other students being shocked.
Friday, April 08, 2011
Should these people be teaching? One tells the world she sees her students as "future criminals"
I actually think it's a good thing that parents and the community are beginning to learn what sort of conversations take place day in and day out in the teachers lounge. I heard this sort of thing frequently during my years as a teacher. The problems with this attitude are that the teacher...
1) isn't taking responsibility for improving kids' behavior;
2) is making a self-fulfilling prophecy;
3) is being unprofessional;
4) is stereotyping and making harmful generalizations about the people whom she is paid to help;
5) should consider a career in law enforcement.
I'm wondering exactly how these teachers' attitudes translate into action in the classroom. Obviously, these teachers are very negative. I'm guessing they are abusive toward the children they are talking about.
Teacher Suspended Over Facebook Post (Round Two)
By Francesca Duffy
April 6, 2011
Education Week
Another teacher has garnered national attention as well as a suspension for posting a comment about her students on her Facebook page, according to the New York Times. In this case, the first-grade teacher from Paterson, N.J., wrote that she "felt like a warden overseeing future criminals."
The post spurred negative reactions from parents, students, and the community. "It's horrible," said Irene Sterling, president of the Paterson Education Fund, a nonprofit group that supports the local school community. "And unfortunately, I don't think she's the only teacher in Paterson who thinks that way."
Meanwhile, the teacher's lawyer, Nancy Oxfeld, argued that the teacher, whose name has not been released, wrote the posts on her personal time:
"My feeling is that if you're concerned about children, you're concerned about what goes on in the classroom, not about policing your employee's private comments to others," said Oxfeld, as quoted in the Times.
Just this past February, a high school English teacher in Pennsylvania also was suspended for maligning students on her blog.
Teacher Suspended for Blogging About Students
By Caroline Cournoyer
February 10, 2011
Education Week
Attention all teachers with blogs: Be careful with your words. A high school English teacher in Pennsylvania has been suspended for writing what she really thinks about her students on a personal blog, according to CBSPHILLY.
More than a year ago, Natalie Munroe of the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania expressed her frustrations with her students on her blog, using phrases like "seems smarter than she actually is," "I hate your kid," and "am concerned your kid is going to open fire on the school." It's unclear whether Munroe specified which students she was referring to, and the blog has since been shut down, reports CBSPHILLY.
It was a parent who discovered the blog and brought it to the district's attention, and parents—and students—are condemning the teacher's actions.
"Why would you be with children if you are feeling that negative about everything they do?" parent Kelly Woloshyn asked.
Apparently, a lot of teachers do more than just verbally abuse their students.
Is it Time to End Corporal Punishment in Schools?
By Caroline Cournoyer
February 14, 2011
Education Week
After an elementary school teacher in Maryland was recently charged with several counts of assault for choking, punching, kicking, and/or scratching eight of her first graders, Washington Post blogger Valerie Strauss recalls the failure of Congress to pass a bill to end corporal punishment in schools.
In June, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) introduced the Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act—which would do just what it says—but the bill never made it out of its assigned committee, reports the Post.
Although almost half of school corporal punishment cases occur in Texas and Mississippi, it's still legal in 20 states and was responsible for 10,000-20,000 children seeking medical treatment in the 2006-2007 school year. Studies show that it most commonly occurs in rural schools and is directed toward male and nonwhite students, according to Strauss.
1) isn't taking responsibility for improving kids' behavior;
2) is making a self-fulfilling prophecy;
3) is being unprofessional;
4) is stereotyping and making harmful generalizations about the people whom she is paid to help;
5) should consider a career in law enforcement.
I'm wondering exactly how these teachers' attitudes translate into action in the classroom. Obviously, these teachers are very negative. I'm guessing they are abusive toward the children they are talking about.
Teacher Suspended Over Facebook Post (Round Two)
By Francesca Duffy
April 6, 2011
Education Week
Another teacher has garnered national attention as well as a suspension for posting a comment about her students on her Facebook page, according to the New York Times. In this case, the first-grade teacher from Paterson, N.J., wrote that she "felt like a warden overseeing future criminals."
The post spurred negative reactions from parents, students, and the community. "It's horrible," said Irene Sterling, president of the Paterson Education Fund, a nonprofit group that supports the local school community. "And unfortunately, I don't think she's the only teacher in Paterson who thinks that way."
Meanwhile, the teacher's lawyer, Nancy Oxfeld, argued that the teacher, whose name has not been released, wrote the posts on her personal time:
"My feeling is that if you're concerned about children, you're concerned about what goes on in the classroom, not about policing your employee's private comments to others," said Oxfeld, as quoted in the Times.
Just this past February, a high school English teacher in Pennsylvania also was suspended for maligning students on her blog.
Teacher Suspended for Blogging About Students
By Caroline Cournoyer
February 10, 2011
Education Week
Attention all teachers with blogs: Be careful with your words. A high school English teacher in Pennsylvania has been suspended for writing what she really thinks about her students on a personal blog, according to CBSPHILLY.
More than a year ago, Natalie Munroe of the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania expressed her frustrations with her students on her blog, using phrases like "seems smarter than she actually is," "I hate your kid," and "am concerned your kid is going to open fire on the school." It's unclear whether Munroe specified which students she was referring to, and the blog has since been shut down, reports CBSPHILLY.
It was a parent who discovered the blog and brought it to the district's attention, and parents—and students—are condemning the teacher's actions.
"Why would you be with children if you are feeling that negative about everything they do?" parent Kelly Woloshyn asked.
Apparently, a lot of teachers do more than just verbally abuse their students.
Is it Time to End Corporal Punishment in Schools?
By Caroline Cournoyer
February 14, 2011
Education Week
After an elementary school teacher in Maryland was recently charged with several counts of assault for choking, punching, kicking, and/or scratching eight of her first graders, Washington Post blogger Valerie Strauss recalls the failure of Congress to pass a bill to end corporal punishment in schools.
In June, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) introduced the Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act—which would do just what it says—but the bill never made it out of its assigned committee, reports the Post.
Although almost half of school corporal punishment cases occur in Texas and Mississippi, it's still legal in 20 states and was responsible for 10,000-20,000 children seeking medical treatment in the 2006-2007 school year. Studies show that it most commonly occurs in rural schools and is directed toward male and nonwhite students, according to Strauss.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Police officer punches jaywalking teenage girl: sometimes police (and teachers!) allow issues of control to distort their perspective
The teenage girl detained in this story clearly broke the law by jaywalking and then ignoring a police officer. My question: what is the best way to deal with teenage girls who violate the law by jaywalking and then ignoring a police officer?
How do police and teachers maintain respect and authority? I'm not an expert on police, but I would like to suggest that as teachers we do so by sometimes letting things go, by recognizing when a confrontation will actually damage our authority.
In the grand scheme of things, there are important problems that require the use of physical force. A teenager jaywalking is not one of these things. The officer allowed several jaywalkers to leave; why not one more? Why get physical with a teenage girl? If I'd been in this officer's situation, I might have called after the departing girl, "We're worried about the possibility of an accident at this intersection. Please cross in a safer place next time."
I'm afraid we give young people the wrong message about the proper use of power when police (and teachers) overreact to young people who don't comply with our directives. The goal is to mold young people into responsible citizens, right? The specific goal in this case is to prevent a traffic accident.
Somehow I don't think this is the way to do it. It just makes kids think that the adults are abusive and can't control themselves when they get angry. Some adults can't identify a situation in which a confrontation will damage their own authority. This officer did not enhance his own authority by using physical force in this situation.
Police: Officer reassigned after punching incident caught on camera
(Includes video)
By Gabriel Falcon, CNN
June 16, 2010
A Seattle police officer who was recorded on a cell phone camera punching an alleged jaywalker in the face has been temporarily reassigned, a department spokesman said Wednesday.
Ian Walsh has been taken off patrol duty and placed in a training unit to review police tactics, Detective Mark Jamieson said.
Walsh, who joined the force in November 2007, has not been disciplined in the Monday incident, which remains under investigation, Jamieson said. The event has been referred to the police's Office of Professional Accountability for review, he said.
According to a police statement, Walsh was on patrol and in uniform Monday afternoon when he stopped a young man for jaywalking.
While interacting with the man, Walsh observed four women jaywalking at the same location and ordered them to step over to his cruiser, police said. The department described the women as being "verbally antagonistic toward the officer."...
How do police and teachers maintain respect and authority? I'm not an expert on police, but I would like to suggest that as teachers we do so by sometimes letting things go, by recognizing when a confrontation will actually damage our authority.
In the grand scheme of things, there are important problems that require the use of physical force. A teenager jaywalking is not one of these things. The officer allowed several jaywalkers to leave; why not one more? Why get physical with a teenage girl? If I'd been in this officer's situation, I might have called after the departing girl, "We're worried about the possibility of an accident at this intersection. Please cross in a safer place next time."
I'm afraid we give young people the wrong message about the proper use of power when police (and teachers) overreact to young people who don't comply with our directives. The goal is to mold young people into responsible citizens, right? The specific goal in this case is to prevent a traffic accident.
Somehow I don't think this is the way to do it. It just makes kids think that the adults are abusive and can't control themselves when they get angry. Some adults can't identify a situation in which a confrontation will damage their own authority. This officer did not enhance his own authority by using physical force in this situation.
Police: Officer reassigned after punching incident caught on camera
(Includes video)
By Gabriel Falcon, CNN
June 16, 2010
A Seattle police officer who was recorded on a cell phone camera punching an alleged jaywalker in the face has been temporarily reassigned, a department spokesman said Wednesday.
Ian Walsh has been taken off patrol duty and placed in a training unit to review police tactics, Detective Mark Jamieson said.
Walsh, who joined the force in November 2007, has not been disciplined in the Monday incident, which remains under investigation, Jamieson said. The event has been referred to the police's Office of Professional Accountability for review, he said.
According to a police statement, Walsh was on patrol and in uniform Monday afternoon when he stopped a young man for jaywalking.
While interacting with the man, Walsh observed four women jaywalking at the same location and ordered them to step over to his cruiser, police said. The department described the women as being "verbally antagonistic toward the officer."...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sunshine is good: Lawsuit demands Vatican name priests accused of sex abuse
Lawsuit demands Vatican name priests accused of sex abuse
By Alan Duke
CNN
April 22, 2010
An Illinois man is suing the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI for allegedly covering up sexual abuse by a priest at a Catholic school in Wisconsin.
The lawsuit demands the Vatican release the names of thousands of Catholic priests that the suit says have "credible allegations of sexual misconduct" against them...
By Alan Duke
CNN
April 22, 2010
An Illinois man is suing the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI for allegedly covering up sexual abuse by a priest at a Catholic school in Wisconsin.
The lawsuit demands the Vatican release the names of thousands of Catholic priests that the suit says have "credible allegations of sexual misconduct" against them...
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Teacher Charged With Attempted Murder for Beating Student
Teacher Charged With Attempted Murder
AOL News
July 10, 2009
A popular science teacher at an English Catholic school has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating a 14-year-old student on the head with a metal weight, British media said Friday.
Peter Harvey, 49, allegedly "snapped" and attacked Jack Waterhouse before a packed classroom at the All Saints Roman Catholic Comprehensive School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, The Telegraph reported.
Peter Harvey, a popular science teacher at a Catholic school in Nottinghamshire, England, was charged with attempted murder Friday for allegedly beating a student on the head with a metal object. Media reports said Harvey, 49, allegedly snapped and attacked 14-year-old Jack Waterhouse, right, after another student swore in class.
Harvey apparently lost control Wednesday after a student swore during a physics lesson. According to some accounts, Jack tried to intervene. Harvey allegedly picked up a metal measuring weight and began beating Jack on the head.
Two other pupils, a boy and girl, tried to come to Jack's aid and suffered minor injuries, the reports said.
Police and paramedics called to the scene found Jack lying in a pool of blood. The teenager was hospitalized in serious but stable condition Friday, the BBC said.
"Obviously, the whole class is traumatized. People send their children here from great distances because of its academic record and what happened is very much out of character for the school," Nottinghamshire Police Detective Superintendent Adrian Pearson told The Times of London newspaper.
Harvey, who is married and has two daughters at the school, had recently returned to work after being on sick leave for a stress-related condition, the Daily Mail said.
Former students described Harvey as an excellent teacher who was very popular with his pupils.
"I was never a fan of science, so it was a miracle I had Mr. Harvey. He's absolutely hilarious and inspires confidence in even the least scientifically minded," one wrote on the Rate My Teacher Web site.
Others wrote that Harvey made class fun and that "no other science teacher could compare."
"He was the best," one grad wrote.
AOL News
July 10, 2009
A popular science teacher at an English Catholic school has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating a 14-year-old student on the head with a metal weight, British media said Friday.
Peter Harvey, 49, allegedly "snapped" and attacked Jack Waterhouse before a packed classroom at the All Saints Roman Catholic Comprehensive School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, The Telegraph reported.
Peter Harvey, a popular science teacher at a Catholic school in Nottinghamshire, England, was charged with attempted murder Friday for allegedly beating a student on the head with a metal object. Media reports said Harvey, 49, allegedly snapped and attacked 14-year-old Jack Waterhouse, right, after another student swore in class.
Harvey apparently lost control Wednesday after a student swore during a physics lesson. According to some accounts, Jack tried to intervene. Harvey allegedly picked up a metal measuring weight and began beating Jack on the head.
Two other pupils, a boy and girl, tried to come to Jack's aid and suffered minor injuries, the reports said.
Police and paramedics called to the scene found Jack lying in a pool of blood. The teenager was hospitalized in serious but stable condition Friday, the BBC said.
"Obviously, the whole class is traumatized. People send their children here from great distances because of its academic record and what happened is very much out of character for the school," Nottinghamshire Police Detective Superintendent Adrian Pearson told The Times of London newspaper.
Harvey, who is married and has two daughters at the school, had recently returned to work after being on sick leave for a stress-related condition, the Daily Mail said.
Former students described Harvey as an excellent teacher who was very popular with his pupils.
"I was never a fan of science, so it was a miracle I had Mr. Harvey. He's absolutely hilarious and inspires confidence in even the least scientifically minded," one wrote on the Rate My Teacher Web site.
Others wrote that Harvey made class fun and that "no other science teacher could compare."
"He was the best," one grad wrote.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
2 Pa. Judges Admit Jailing Kids For Cash; Juveniles Wrongly Accused?
Plead Guilty To Fraud For Taking $2.6M In Kickbacks To Send Teens To Private Detention Centers
WILKES-BARRE, Pa.,
Feb. 12, 2009
CBSNews.com
(CBS/ AP)
Two Pennsylvania judges charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send youth offenders to privately run detention centers pleaded guilty to fraud Thursday in one of the most stunning cases of judicial corruption on record.
Prosecutors allege Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in lockups run by PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, possibly tainting the convictions of thousands of juvenile offenders.
The judges pleaded guilty in federal court in Scranton to honest services fraud and tax fraud. Their plea agreements call for sentences of more than seven years in prison. They were permitted to remain free pending sentencing.
The gray-haired jurists said little at Thursday's hearing, and declined to comment to reporters afterward.
Prosecutors described a scheme in which Conahan, the former president judge of Luzerne County, shut down the county-owned juvenile detention center in 2002 and signed an agreement with PA Child Care LLC to send youth offenders to its new facility outside Wilkes-Barre.
Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, sent youths to the detention center while he was taking payments, prosecutors said.
For years, youth advocacy groups complained that Ciavarella was ridiculously harsh and ran roughshod over youngsters' constitutional rights. Ciavarella sent a quarter of his juvenile defendants to detention centers from 2002 to 2006, compared with a statewide rate of one in 10.
Among the offenders were teenagers who were locked up for months for stealing loose change from cars, writing a prank note and possessing drug paraphernalia. Many had never been in trouble before, and some were imprisoned even after probation officers recommended against it. Many of the youths didn't have attorneys.
Ciavarella has specifically denied sending kids to jail for cash, and had indicated he would not go through with the guilty plea if the government offered that as evidence.
Thus prosecutors left out any mention Thursday of a quid pro quo, presenting only enough evidence to establish that crimes had occurred.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubron said after the hearing that the government continues to allege a quid pro quo. "We're not negotiating that, no. We're not backing off," he said.
The prosecutor said it will be up to U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik to settle the matter. Kosik could reject the proposed sentence as too light if he decides there was a quid pro quo.
"I think there will be significant disagreements as to what the facts are," Zubrod said. "Was there a connection between the payments and the money, and young people going to prison? Those are issues that are going to be addressed later by the court. There's going to be plenty of time to fight about that."
The judges were charged on Jan. 26 and removed from the bench by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court shortly afterward.
Fifteen-year-old Bernadine Wallace was sentenced to a month in lock-up for a threatening note she posted on her MySpace page, reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane.
"I was thinking to myself, 'I don't deserve this. I don't think that I did that much wrong. I'm not a criminal'," she said.
"You saw the judges come out of court today. How were you feeling?" Doane asked Wallace's mother.
"Angry," Flo Wallace said. "How did they get to walk out with all these charges? When she went in front of them, she got out of shackles."
Kurt Kruger, now 22, pictured at left, had never been in trouble with the law until the day police accused him of acting as a lookout while his friend shoplifted less than $200 worth of DVDs from Wal-Mart. He said he didn't know his friend was going to steal anything.
Kruger pleaded guilty before Ciavarella and spent three days in a company-run juvenile detention center, plus four months at a youth wilderness camp run by a different operator.
"Never in a million years did I think that I would actually get sent away. I was completely destroyed," said Kruger, who later dropped out of school. He said he wants to get his record expunged, earn his high school equivalency diploma and go to college.
WILKES-BARRE, Pa.,
Feb. 12, 2009
CBSNews.com
(CBS/ AP)
Two Pennsylvania judges charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send youth offenders to privately run detention centers pleaded guilty to fraud Thursday in one of the most stunning cases of judicial corruption on record.
Prosecutors allege Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in lockups run by PA Child Care LLC and a sister company, possibly tainting the convictions of thousands of juvenile offenders.
The judges pleaded guilty in federal court in Scranton to honest services fraud and tax fraud. Their plea agreements call for sentences of more than seven years in prison. They were permitted to remain free pending sentencing.
The gray-haired jurists said little at Thursday's hearing, and declined to comment to reporters afterward.
Prosecutors described a scheme in which Conahan, the former president judge of Luzerne County, shut down the county-owned juvenile detention center in 2002 and signed an agreement with PA Child Care LLC to send youth offenders to its new facility outside Wilkes-Barre.
Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, sent youths to the detention center while he was taking payments, prosecutors said.
For years, youth advocacy groups complained that Ciavarella was ridiculously harsh and ran roughshod over youngsters' constitutional rights. Ciavarella sent a quarter of his juvenile defendants to detention centers from 2002 to 2006, compared with a statewide rate of one in 10.
Among the offenders were teenagers who were locked up for months for stealing loose change from cars, writing a prank note and possessing drug paraphernalia. Many had never been in trouble before, and some were imprisoned even after probation officers recommended against it. Many of the youths didn't have attorneys.
Ciavarella has specifically denied sending kids to jail for cash, and had indicated he would not go through with the guilty plea if the government offered that as evidence.
Thus prosecutors left out any mention Thursday of a quid pro quo, presenting only enough evidence to establish that crimes had occurred.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubron said after the hearing that the government continues to allege a quid pro quo. "We're not negotiating that, no. We're not backing off," he said.
The prosecutor said it will be up to U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik to settle the matter. Kosik could reject the proposed sentence as too light if he decides there was a quid pro quo.
"I think there will be significant disagreements as to what the facts are," Zubrod said. "Was there a connection between the payments and the money, and young people going to prison? Those are issues that are going to be addressed later by the court. There's going to be plenty of time to fight about that."
The judges were charged on Jan. 26 and removed from the bench by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court shortly afterward.
Fifteen-year-old Bernadine Wallace was sentenced to a month in lock-up for a threatening note she posted on her MySpace page, reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane.
"I was thinking to myself, 'I don't deserve this. I don't think that I did that much wrong. I'm not a criminal'," she said.
"You saw the judges come out of court today. How were you feeling?" Doane asked Wallace's mother.
"Angry," Flo Wallace said. "How did they get to walk out with all these charges? When she went in front of them, she got out of shackles."
Kurt Kruger, now 22, pictured at left, had never been in trouble with the law until the day police accused him of acting as a lookout while his friend shoplifted less than $200 worth of DVDs from Wal-Mart. He said he didn't know his friend was going to steal anything.
Kruger pleaded guilty before Ciavarella and spent three days in a company-run juvenile detention center, plus four months at a youth wilderness camp run by a different operator.
"Never in a million years did I think that I would actually get sent away. I was completely destroyed," said Kruger, who later dropped out of school. He said he wants to get his record expunged, earn his high school equivalency diploma and go to college.
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