Ambridge, PENNSYLVANIA

July 31, 2007 -

Ambridge Area School Board President Dr. Bernard Logan chastised two high school teachers in a letter for testifying in Beaver County Court on behalf of a former teacher convicted of having a sexual relationship with a student.

In a letter dated July 12, Logan expressed concern that math teacher Jennifer Grabski and social studies teacher Christina Trombetta had stepped forward as teachers, and "de facto representatives" of the district, to speak on behalf of David M. Costanza.

"I believe you lost sight of the bigger picture," Logan wrote. "Mr. Costanza preyed on a 15-year-old girl. She slept at his house. The relationship went on for weeks. ... How you diminished these actions and testified to his positive contributions, while this girl, the victim, with her family, sat in the courtroom, is beyond my understanding."

And,

Logan wrote that teachers have a "sacred responsibility to protect children" and that his confidence in the two "as guardians of our children has been diminished."

Logan said he wrote the letter on his personal stationery and wasn't acting in his capacity as board president when he composed it, although he refers to himself as a school board director and signs the letter as board president.

A copy of the letter was delivered to the Times, but they didn't print it.

TT - LINK for Costanza.

Orlando, FLORIDA

July 31, 2007 -
Michael Reichert, 37, a University of Central Florida political science professor, was charged with 138 counts of possessing child pornography on his work and home computers.

Computer technicians found the images when he turned the laptop in for virus check.

Reichert's attorney, Hugh McDonnell, said his client has no explanation for how the pornography got there, but said his client is the one who discovered it and reported it to UCF.

Reichert has been on administrative leave since his arrest two weeks ago.
Full Name: Michael Shawn Reichert

See Sun-Sentinel coverage.

Floyd, VIRGINIA

Oct 12, 2006 - Daniel Farmer, 36, media specialist teacher at Floyd Elementary School and assistant girls' softball coach at Floyd County High School, was arrested for contributing to the deliquency of a minor for having sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. An additional charge of sodomy was added.

Oct 27 - Thirty-six-year-old Daniel Farmer pleaded not guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The judge found him guilty and sentenced him to six months in jail, but he appealed it.

His felony charge of sodomy will be held over to the December grand jury.
Farmer resigned after his arrest.

Mar 21, 2007 - No further info in search engines.

GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCE: July 31 - Farmer pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a 15-year-old, which is a misdemeanor. Prosecutors dropped charges of oral sodomy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Farmer must also register as a sex offender.

Farmer was sentenced to two years probation, and 400 hours of community. He must also register as a sex offender.

Queens, NEW YORK

CONVICTED: June 13, 2007 -
Khemwatie Bedessie, 38,, a teacher's aide was convicted of sexually abusing a 4-year-old boy. A jury convicted Bedessie of sexually abusing the boy on three occasions.

Bedessie, who is from Guyana, was an aide at a Queens day care center.

She will be sentenced next month. (Although newspapers quickly lose interest in stories like this and it is unlikely they will carry a story about the sentencing.

SENTENCED: July 31 - Bedessie was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Virginia Beach, VIRGINIA

July 30, 2007 - Veta B. Faison, 59, recently retired assistant principal at Tallwood Elementary, and her husband, Louis Faison, 62, a retired school teacher, were both sentenced for income tax evasion. Faison retired in March, but for seven years, from 1998 and 2004, the couple claimed zero taxable income and submitted tax protest literature with their returns.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Seidel Jr., who prosecuted the case, noted that the couple lived lavishly during the years they paid no taxes. He said they drove Mercedes-Benz cars, were members of a country club, paid for a $100,000 retirement fund and paid for their children's college education.

Veta was sentenced to eight months; Louis was sentenced to 15 months. The couple paid the IRS about $148,000 for back taxes.

Veta Faison's attorney, Franklin A. Swartz, asked the judge to sentence his client to home detention. He called the federal sentencing rules in this case "harsh, rigid and severe," and said that she should be given credit for her 35 years as an educator, her volunteer work and other successes.

The judge was not impressed.

Paso Robles, CALIFORNIA

"She's not a sexual deviant."

ARRESTED Mar 15, 2007 -
Cora Solorio, 24, a bilingual aide at Flamson Middle School, was arrested, charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy.

Solorio had been warned about discussing sex acts with students in the past. Investigators found several spiral notebooks in Solorio's school office that contained questions about the students sexual experiences and their answers, according to a police report released this week.

She was arrested Feb 26 and pleaded not guilty. A court hearing is scheduled for Mar 26.
Full Name: Cora Marie Solorio
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A California assemblyman has introduced bills to mandate screening for volunteers and another bill to strengthen the definitions of professional misconduct and make investigations of questionable behavior move more quickly. The bills are in response to several incidents in Central Coast schools. [Link at the site to e-mails between a 39-year-old teacher and a 14-year-old student.]

TT - The bills will, of course, never pass or even be considered in the California legislature that is dominated by teachers, former teachers, teacher union-backed representatives and funded by teacher-union contributions. Because, after all, these are just students we are talking about.
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Mar 27 - Solario pleaded not guilty five felony counts of committing a lewd act on a child under 14 years old and five felony counts of orally copulating a child under 14 years old earlier this month. A pre-preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 23, followed by a preliminary hearing April 25.

PLEADED NO CONTEST June 13 - Solorio pleaded no contest to committing a lewd act on a child under age 14 and to two charges of having oral sex with a child under age 14. She will be sentenced July 18.

Her stepfather, Joe Quiroz, is a member of the board of education. Solario is the mother of three children. She maintained a MySpace page.

SENTENCED July 30 - Solario was sentenced to 270 days in jail and five years probation. Solorio must register as a sex offender for life.

Quiroz is a Paso Robles Public Schools board member.
“She’s a good kid,” Quiroz said. “She’ll survive. She’s getting stronger and has made herself stronger because of all this. …I just want people to know that she’s not a pedophile. She’s not a sexual deviant.”

Deputy District Attorney Andy Cadena criticized a county probation department report that he said portrayed Solorio as the victim rather than the boy.

Elkins, WEST VIRGINIA

July 30, 2007 - James Beatty, 28, an Elkins High School teacher, is facing charges for Sexual Abuse by a Guardian after being accused by a 16-year old girl. She told police that Beatty tried to kiss her numerous times and then inappropriately touched her.

The criminal complaint states that Beatty tried to deny the charges, but eventually admitted to kissing and touching the girl. Beatty says he did try to kiss the girl about six times in the Future Farmers of America Office. Beatty states "he knew it was wrong but did not stop."

The school board reported the incident to the Department of Health and Human Resources.

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ONLINE RESOURCE: West Virginia criminalizes sexual contact by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust to a child even when such child is sixteen years of age or older, and even when the child may have suffered no apparent physical injury or mental or emotional injury as a result of such conduct. WC61- 8D - 5

Hoquiam, WASHINGTON

July 28, 2007 - Four of five members of the Hoquiam School Board won't be coming back for another term. There are three candidates for the position of board president vacated by Eileen Sterling.

All three candidates view the crisis of confidence within the Hoquiam School District in the wake of allegations involving two male High School teachers and female students as one of the most important challenges facing the district.

Coach Todd Hoiness has pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor in the second degree, charges stemming from a relationship he had with a female wrestler he coached. He’ll be sentenced in August.

Plus, there were earlier allegations against former choir director Matt Hirschfelder, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. A trial is set for next month.

In the Hoiness case, despite several warnings from bus drivers and others that something was going on between Hoiness and the female wrestler, the parents were never contacted. Not every candidate for the school board thinks they should have been.

TT - LINK for Hoiness
TT - LINK for Hirschfelder
TT - LINK for more on the School District

July 27 -

The Hoquiam School Board directed the superintendent to create a new “ombudsman” system so that citizens, district employees or anyone who has concerns about teachers, staff or administrators can offer feedback “without feeling threatened,” as School Board member Dave Smith puts it.

The Education Cash Cow

The National Urban League held its 97th conference this month. Described as "the nation's oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African-Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream," they heard from a number of presidential candidates including Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama.

They also heard from Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, who spoke on education issues. (See TT - LINK)

It was decidedly odd having Bloomberg and others address education issues in a city where the state recently took over the schools. ( See TT - LINK ) St. Louis isn't the only school district in the country where the state has replaced elected school boards.

In New Jersey, there are a number of districts currently under state control or being closely watched. Jersey City has been run by the state since 1989. Newark has been under state control since 1995. Paterson was taken over by the state in 1991. Salem is classified as a Level II district. The Level II districts were subject to an external review from the Montclair State University School of Education. Six other districts are being closely monitored.

And then there is Camden. Camden has been controlled since 2002.

About a dozen teachers at a troubled Newark elementary school were removed, and the district's longtime union boss, Joseph Del Grosso, supported their ouster.

That's the kind of teacher and union support Camden needs to turn around its struggling schools. A good education starts with teachers. If teachers don't commit to improving the education Camden students receive, nothing will change.

It's not coincidence that the same districts also suffer from political corruption in local government.

The former mayor of Newark (mayor from 1986-2006) Sharpe James has pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges. He retains his Senate seat while awaiting trial.

Paterson mayor Martin G. Barnes (mayor from 1997 - 2002) pleaded guilty in 2002 to mail fraud, and tax evasion, admitting that he took free trips, home improvements, a swimming pool and more from city vendors or prospective vendors. He was sentenced to 37 months. Two Paterson officials were indicted last month for taking bribes.

Former Jersey City mayor Gerald McCann wants taxpayers to pick up the tab for his legal difficulties associated with his narrow election to the school board. Jersey city has a long history of political corruption.

A Camden councilman, Ali Sloan El, was sentenced to 20 months for bribery. Former Camden fixture Sen. Wayne Bryant, a member of the education committee, is also being investigated for corruption.

Annette Knox, the controversial school board superintendent, is now gone amid a test-score scandal and at least two investigations in the district. Board president Philip E. Freeman stepped down after a change in state ethics laws barred him from holding public offices while in his current job as assistant director of the New Jersey Office of Civil Rights.

Another education figure no longer in the forefront is Paul Mehne, the popular and much-admired dean of the Camden campus of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Mehne stepped down because of a federal probe into financial irregularities and abuses.

A self-serving comment considering the rate of politicians elected in N.J. that are union-backed. A recent report on Camden schools cited more than 500 district personnel with questionable certification.

States don't take over schools because of low academic standards. They take them over because rampant corruption in state and local politics allow incompetence, bribery and political patronage to thrive in schools. They are, after all, cash cows.

Children are the VERY last concern in the political swamps of New Jersey or St. Louis.

Green, OHIO

Could I drown your two daughters?

July 28, 2007 - Jeff Doland, 45, director of technology for an Ohio school district in suburban Akron, was arrested in Florida where he traveled to meet a mother to pay her $500 to let him nearly drown her two daughters for his sexual pleasure. Fortunately, he was talking to a Secret Service agent.

Florida Attorney General Press Release on the arrest. (Dated July 25, 2007)

Doland will initially be charged with selling or buying of minors, a first-degree felony, and promoting the sexual performance of a child, a second-degree felony. The first charge is described in Florida statute as offering to purchase a minor with the intent to promote acts requiring the rendering of assistance by the minor to any other person to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct. The additional charge is described as producing, directing, manufacturing or promoting the sadomasochistic abuse or harm of a child through torture and/or physical restraint for the purpose of sexual gratification.

Doland's bond was raised to $1 million. He will have an August 15 court hearing.

Taylortown, NORTH CAROLINA

July 28, 2007 -
Lonnie Jones, 38, a Taylortown councilman and a substitute teacher with the Moore County schools, was arrested, along with his brother, after police found $3,600 worth of drugs in their home.

He was charged with seven felonies and two misdemeanors. The two men are accused of conspiracy, various charges related to the possession and sale of marijuana and cocaine, and maintaining a house to sell drugs.

The mayor was arrested in February and charged with fraud. The council has taken no action against him but are paying his legal expenses.

Jones has been elected councilman every year since 1997.

July 31 - Despite his arrest, Jones kept his seat on the all-black council. Only one councilman voted against Jones. An unidentified woman approached the board and told them her son wouldn’t understand why Jones, a substitute teacher for Moore County schools, still was on the board.

August 7 - The Pilot gives many details from the search warrant, including the three drug buys in the three-month investigation.

Lonnie Jones is a substitute teacher for the Moore County school system, according to Anita Alpenfels, the executive director of human resources for the schools. He was hired this year and "worked in a very limited capacity," she said.

The first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 16.

Aug 7 - The Pilot editorial, "Embarrassment for Taylortown"

How embarrassing.
On Tuesday of last week, three of the five men on the Town Council of Taylortown voted to keep alleged drug dealer Lonnie Jones on their board -- and members of the public present at the meeting laughed out loud.

When one of those members of the public accused the whole board of being corrupt, a single councilman, Jesse Fuller, took exception to being included in such an insulting description. There was an apology; the man said he hadn't meant to call Fuller corrupt -- just everybody else, apparently.

Fuller accepted the apology, and silence reigned -- none of the others present even deigned to object to being called corrupt.

UPDATE: Sept 13 - Additional drug charges were filed against Lonnie Jones and his brother for a drug buy by undercover officers before the arrest were filed.

Jones and Mayor Ulysses S. G. Barrett Jr. (who was arrested by the FBI in March) have both filed for reelection in November.

Churdan, IOWA

July 27, 2007 - Ashley Keller, 24, a physical education teacher and coach for the Payton-Churdan School District, is in jail again. She was arrested in June on charges of providing alcohol to two 15-year-old students. (AOL News said they had been invited to a party at her apartment. Story in cache.)

She was charged with two counts of providing alcohol to a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She pleaded not guilty.

She now faces now faces 986 charges of contempt of court for contacting one of the boys after a condition of her bail was not to do so. In two weeks Keller sent and received 986 text messages. The court documents also said that some of the messages were sexual in nature.

Her trial on the alcohol charges is scheduled for September.

NEW CHARGES: August 23 - Police have charged her with with harboring a runaway and contempt of court. Police said she violated a court order not to have contact with the 15-year-old by sending him 900 text messages.
--------------------------------
LICENSE INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED without possibility of reinstatement for five years by the state Board of Education. Case Number 07-22. Minutes
Found in June 2008 minutes (pg. 4)

Lafayette, LOUISIANA

July 26, 2007 - Joel Whitmore, 40, a Lafayette High School math teacher, was arrested for internet chat with what he thought was a minor.

He is charged with six counts of indecent behavior, four counts of computer-aided solicitation for sexual purposes and one count of obscenity. His bond is $165,000 dollars.

Source: KATC Ch 3

From the Daily Advertiser:

Whitmore's arrest is a painful case of déjà vu for the school. Last April, a boys track coach at the school, Arthur Goodly, was arrested after driving from Lafayette to Iowa, just outside of Lake Charles, to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl he met online. The "girl" was an undercover law enforcement investigator working an online sexual predator sting.

April 8, 2008 - Whitmore waived his right to a jury and will have his case decided by a judge. The trial is scheduled for June in Bossier City.

East Brunswick, NEW JERSEY

Dec 29, 2006 - Shawn M. Feeney, 31, an English teacher at East Brunswick High School has been arrested and charged with official misconduct, sexual assault and criminal sexual contact with regards to two female students. The two female victims were between the ages of 16 and 17 and were students at the when the alleged incidents occurred. Feeney has been suspended by the Board of Education.

Dec 30 - " His bail has been set at $305,000 with no option of paying 10 percent of it."

GUILTY PLEA Apr 18, 2007 - Feeney pleaded guilty today to charges of having sexual relationships with two girls who were his students.

He pleaded to two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and a single count of official misconduct. Under the plea agreement, Feeney faces of maximum sentence of four years in prison.

May 4 - Sentencing is scheduled for June 7. As a result of his crimes, Feeney will have to register under Megan's Law.

SENTENCED July 26 - Feeney was sentenced to four years in state prison. With no minimum sentence given, Feeney is eligible for parole at any time. No mention of registration as a sex offender. As part of his plea agreement, Feeney surrendered his teaching license.

School Reform

July 25, 2007 - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke to the National Urban League in St. Louis about education reform. He spoke at a private luncheon. For two days they will hear from several presidential candidates at the four-day national conference.

---

The text of his speech can be found on his website.

He spoke about reform in NYC schools and the abolition of the Board of Education. And about tenure, the taboo topic in politics.

Focusing on how well students are actually learning will also allow us to take two other critical steps: reforming the tenure process, which right now is almost automatic. And reforming the process by which teachers can be fired, which right now is almost impossible.

When a teacher is up for tenure, too often the questions are: Did he come to work every day? Did he cover the curriculum? Do people like him? But the one question that really matters isn’t asked: Are his students learning as much as they should? Most times, the answer is ‘yes.’ But if the answer is no, that teacher should not receive tenure.

And when a tenured teacher’s students are not learning, principals, after a reasonable appeals process, should have the authority to let that teacher go. Right now, that appeals process is anything but reasonable. It’s a nightmare. That’s why many principals don’t even bother with it – and once again, it’s our children who suffer.

In New York City, we’ve begun taking the first steps toward tenure reform by requiring principals to evaluate each tenure-track teacher, so that tenure is earned by those who deserve it, and not granted as a right to those who don’t. But to inject some sanity into the process of firing bad teachers. And to pay bonuses to highly effective teachers, we need buy-in from the unions. That hasn’t been easy in New York – or anywhere else. And I’ll be honest: I’m not sure we’re going to get there without support from the federal government.

RETENTION AND PERFORMANCE

Many of you in this room work or have worked in the private sector. You know how to attract and retain the best people. Make them feel respected. And get the most out of them. You pay them more. You give them incentives to take on the toughest challenges and succeed. And you hold them accountable for results. And those who don’t perform up to standard – you let go. That’s Management 101, and it’s the way we treat all professionals – except in our schools.

In most school systems, teachers experience low pay, lockstep pay scales, no recognition of talent, no incentives for success and no accountability for failure. This kind of employment system didn’t work in the Soviet Union, and it’s time for us to recognize that it’s not working in our schools.

TT - Under his school "reforms," NYC teacher salaries have increased 43%, and senior teachers in the New York City school system will make more than $100,000. That's good for retention, provided the teacher provides value for the money and with the ability to "let go" of the non-performing teacher. Something they can't do under tenure. So what is the point of paying all teachers 43% more? Tenure is locked in the Legislature.

There's something ironic about speaking about education reform in a city that has just had their schools taken over by the state for colossal mismanagement and corruption.

See Bloomberg's, ah, reforms. TT entry

New Milford, CONNECTICUT

July 26, 2007 - Keir Hansen, 33, a fifth-grade teacher at Sarah Noble Intermediate School, is alleged to have made fraudulent purchases and charged them to a fire department. A warrant charged him with third-degree larceny, a class D felony related to thefts of amounts more than $1,000.

He was released on bond. Next court date is August 6.

TT - It's always a debate whether to post a news story or not. It sounds like a petty case that involved poor judgement, one of the main reasons we ignore most PTA and school fund thefts, even by teachers. One of the comments at the news site, however, tipped the balance.

I dont have anger towards him. i said i liked him and he was a great teacher. BUT when my son found out about his arrest, he was SHOCKED! do you know what he said...he said wow, i looked up to him. the kids in sarah noble have had enough issues this year. do they need more??

It's the very reason why the arrest and prosecution of a teacher is a tragedy. Not for the teacher, but for students whose first interaction with authority is with a school teacher. How school authorities respond constitutes a life lesson. Not just for the one student, but the chain of students in the teacher's current classes and every class he or she ever taught.

SENTENCED: Hansen must pay off the debt he incurred, write letters of apology to his victims, and perform 20 hours of community service. In exchange, if he doesn't violate any laws over the next year, his criminal record will be erased as a first-time offender. He's still on paid leave.

Oct 2 - Hansen resigned effective Sept. 14. With his resignation, Hansen retains his state teacher certification.

Fallon, NEVADA

It's why we elect school boards - to establish policy for our schools. Uh, wait, -- Reality check.




July 26, 2007 - Last year, the Churchill County School District Board of Trustees approved a policy to test district employees who are suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the workplace. The result was a 23-page draft of administrative regulations.

Board President Greg Koenig said Monday that teacher union representative Margie Villanueva wants the administrative regulations condensed from its current 23 pages to eight pages.

The draft document that came before the board at a recent meeting outlines the process for testing a school district employee and the consequences if an employee is found to be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while working. It also includes forms for district employees that give permission for testing and acknowledge they have read and understand the policy.

"The association is going to look at the eight pages and if they agree on it, it's going to come before the board," Koenig said.

TT - And if they don't agree?

Be sure to read how a teacher who arrived for school was drunk, given a preliminary breath test and then was driven home by the police officer without ever administering any other tests required to prosecute.

In May, a board trustee was told to shut down his blog when he confirmed the incident.
TT - LINK

Beech Grove, INDIANA

July 26, 2007 - From the Indianapolis Star:

A Marion Superior Court judge on Wednesday set a new trial date for a former Beech Grove teacher facing new charges after a conviction last year for molesting a first-grader.

Jeffrey B. Baber, 42, is serving a 30-year sentence. A fter his arrest in 2005, more parents came forward, and prosecutors filed two more child molesting charges in December 2006. Baber now is accused of putting his hand down the pants of two kindergartners during the 2001-02 school year at Hornet Park Elementary.

Judge Tanya Walton Pratt rescheduled the trial for Oct. 1. If convicted, Baber faces up to eight years in prison on each charge.

On July 20, 2007 - Baber lost an appeal on his 2006 conviction. The Court of Appeals of Indiana wrote, in part,

With respect to his character, Baber enjoyed a reputation as a good husband, father, neighbor, friend, and teacher. However, Baber was also an elementary school teacher who kept pornographic DVDs locked in a cabinet in the same room where he taught the six- and seven-year-olds entrusted to his care. The trial court noted Baber was "pretty brazen, not only to [keep pornography in his classroom], but to commit the crimes you did in your classroom." (Id. at 1181.) This does not speak well of his character or judgment. Nothing about Baber’s character suggests his sentence is inappropriate.

Houston, TEXAS

July 26, 2007 - Robert "Kevin" Cyphers, 45, a teacher who worked for the Houston Independent School District, as well as three other districts in the Houston area, was convicted repeatedly molesting an 8-year-old girl.

The girl was not a student. Cyphers molested her while her mother was at work. [Story is vague on why he was alone with the child,]

The punishment trial is scheduled for next week.

Syracuse, NEW YORK

Jan 25, 2007 - The New York Times continues to take an unusual interest in the Albert Scerbo trial in Syracuse, NY.

They describe the case as "proving problematic for the Onondaga County district attorney’s office." On the second day of the trial. They characterize the case as "shaking up relations between the 1,500-member tribe and the surrounding community." No other newspaper reports such a conflict. And then there is the the nitpicking of the testimony of 7 and 8-year-old witnesses on events that happened in kindergarten is decidedly curious because such confusion is often seen in trials with children that young.

In stark contrast, the Syracuse Post-Standard is straightforward in presenting the trial as it unfolds, which is odd because Edward Z. Menkin, the defense attorney for Scerbo, has been writing letters to the editors of the Post-Standard for years. He even has screenshots of clips of some his newspaper articles at his site.

In all, it's puzzling. Something, or someone, and not poor, little Indian children has caught the ear of the moose-huggers.

TT - LINK for Scerbo

Montgomery, ALABAMA

CHARGED: Jan 19, 2007-
Patrick Epkins, a teacher's aide and a wrestling coach in the Elmore County School system was charged with rape of 14-year-old student.

WSFA12 wonders how he was acceptable to work in a classroom.

Court records show his wife asked for a protective order against him after a difficult divorce. He also has several bad check charges on his record.

In 2002, he forfeited a bond he'd signed for a 1995 criminal charge. Also in 2002, he pleaded guilty to a theft charge in Prattville.
And yet, Elmore County hired him to work with at-risk students in August 2005.

On January 16th, he was charged with contempt of court for failing to pay his fine from the 2002 theft to which he pleaded guilty.

GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCING: July 25 - Epkins pleaded guilty to rape and was sentenced to two years in prison. He has to register as a sex offender twice a year upon release and must attend mandatory sex offender treatment

Midland, TEXAS

Sentenced to 26 years. He will not be eligible for parole for 13 years. Sex offender for life.
"He knows I love Winnie the Pooh," she said.

TRIAL: July 18, 2007 -
David Van Houten, 31, a social studies teacher at Midland Academy Charter School, is on trial, charged with four felonies, for sex with a 14-year-old girl.

An English teacher and a teacher's aide both testified. The English teacher saw the van Houten and the child kissing and described it as a "romantic" kiss. The aide testified that van Houten asked her to destroy letters in his desk. Instead, she gave them to the principal. A science teacher testified that she protested van Houten taking the girl out of her class.

Then the 14-year-old girl testified about the two sexual encounters on the floor of the classroom, that was preceded by the the CD's that he had given her of the music of the Beatles and Winnie the Pooh. He also bought her a necklace and held hands with her during field trips to see the "Aquila and the Bee" movie.

TT - And if you don't cry reading the humiliation of this little girl, you aren't human.

GUILTY VERDICT AND SENTENCING RECOMMENDATION
July 24 - Van Houton was convicted on all four second-degree felony counts, In the punishment phase of the trial, the jury recommended a 13-year sentence for each of the four felony charges of which it had convicted former middle school teacher David Van Houten.

The surprise of the day Monday was the punishment phase testimony of a 31-year-old Odessa woman who said Van Houten, her cousin, had molested her when they were 13 years old.

Van Houten is married and has a 5-year-old son. His wife supports him.

A judge will decide on Wednesday whether the sentence will run concurrently or consecutively.

SENTENCED: July 25 - Van Houten was sentenced to 26 years. He will not be eligible for parole for 13 years. He must also register as a Sex Offender for the rest of his life.

NO NEW TRIAL Oct 9 - Van Houten has been denied a new trial after his attorney claimed the case wasn't "properly litigated."

Queens, NEW YORK

Substitute discusses his fondness for oral sex with students.

July 25, 2007 - Michael Williams, 49, a substitute teacher at Long Island City HS, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child yesterday, after allegedly boasting to students about his fondness for performing and receiving oral sex.

On two occasions last December, Williams engaged in filthy banter about his sexual behavior with students aged 13 and 14 in the classroom, according to interviews with 12 students by a schools investigator and administrators.

Williams did not return calls for comment. The report notes that he denied discussing his private sexual life. Instead, he said, he discussed sex in the context of hip-hop lyrics.

New York Daily News: Williams also bragged about cheating on his wife. A girl used her cell phone to record a vulgar exchange between Williams and a student who can be heard begging him to "stop talking about this."

Williams has been banned from teaching since the January complaint.

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ONLINE RESOURCE: The Special Commissioner of Investigations for New York City Schools Here
Reports and Press Releases

Marietta, GEORGIA

July 25, 2007 - Leonard Lawley, Jr. 38, a teacher and coach at Sprayberry High School, was arrested on charges of child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes. It is alleged he molested a young relative.

Police are also looking into allegations that he took students to his home for sex. Students and parents have spoken to detectives about the student sex allegations.
Full Name: Leonard Templeton Lawley, Jr

July 26 - Cobb County school officials want to seek school board permission to fire Lawley. At least some of them.

July 30 - Lawley resigned.

August 15 - Investigators found photographs and videos of young girls posing nude and engaged in sex acts on of Lawley's computer.

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ONLINE RESOURCE: Georgia State Board of Education Decisions. LINK
(Appeals of decisions rendered by local boards of education in matters of school law pursuant to O.C.G.A. 20-2-1160. The appeals primarily involve matters relating to student discipline and the discipline and termination of certificated personnel, although any matter of school law can be appealed.)

Gloucester, MASSACHUSETTS

RANT

UPDATED to discuss newspaper editorial on the need to fire teachers convicted of felonies.

July 24, 2007 - A school can't fire a teacher who was sentenced for her fourth DUI. The school district doesn't have a policy for dealing with convicted employees, and they probably never will since collective bargaining would likely be required because the grounds for termination are laid out in each union's contract.

Kathleen Burley, 47, was the teacher who kicked one officer in the groin, bit another and had to be wrestled to the floor. She was sentenced to 4 1/2 years and 10 years' probation. TT - LINK She was found guilty of three counts of assault and battery on a police officer. Despite all that, the school claims they can't fire her. The responsibility is, apparently, on the Massachusetts Department of Education.

TT - It's up to the Massachusetts Department of Education to revoke her license, but don't expect much. They found no cause to revoke the teaching license of a Weymouth health education teacher who was convicted of his fifth drunk driving conviction last December. TT - LINK

UPDATE July 25 - The Gloucester Times editorial ("Felony policy needed in schools") on the need to adopt a school policy that would "state that felons have forfeited their right to work in the local schools." They write:

This is particularly important regarding alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is a disease, but drunken driving is a crime.

School leaders regularly tell students that there will be harsh consequences for drinking and driving. That message will be lost if students see that such consequences don't apply to faculty.If anything, the standards for teachers ought to be higher.

They are supposed to be setting an example for students.

TT - The editorial board of the Gloucester Times doesn't link to the collective bargaining agreement between their school committee members and the Gloucester Teacher's Association. Nor, the Gloucester Policy Manual, also online, that clearly states in Section note GBEC that

disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with contracts negotiated by the Gloucester School Committee with the bargaining unit representing the employee.

Source: Policy Manual PDF Section G pg 5

The bargaining agreement includes this proviso: "Teachers shall not be officially reprimanded, officially disciplined, dismissed reduced in rank or compensation, or denied a salary increase of any kind without just cause." Pg 37 B1

Just cause is explained here.

In other words, they can't fire a teacher who is convicted of a felony without the express consent of the union, who, otherwise, can file a grievance and can tie the school board, school and school administrators in legal tangles that could last months. Or years.

Brighton, COLORADO

Sentenced (sorta) to probation for failure to report sexual abuse of a student. Witness tampering charge dropped.

Jan 21, 2007 - David Mundy Sr, 53, Brighton Charter School Board president, pleaded not guilty to charges of tampering with a witness and failure to report sexual abuse. [TT-Bolding ours.]

Mundy allegedly waited to report alleged sexual contact to authorities between former Brighton Charter teacher Carrie McCandless and a teenage student on a school hiking trip to Estes Park in October until several days after it happened. McCandless’ case is being handled in Larimer County.

Mundy stepped down from the charter school board in December amid growing pressure from both parents and fellow board members. Mundy’s son, David Mundy Jr., was sentenced earlier this year in a separate case where he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault on a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for an incident involving three teenage girls including one Brighton Charter student. Mundy Jr. worked at the school as substitute teacher.

The trial is set for Jul 18.
TT entry for McCandless
TT entry for Mundy, Jr
McCandless' husband is principal of the school. He has not been involved in any of the improprieties.

June 15 - Mundy made a brief court appearance for hearings. Trial is scheduled for July 18.

GUILTY PLEA and SENTENCING : July 24 - Mundy pleaded guilty to a count of failure to report child abuse. District Court Judge Thomas Ensor "immediately sentenced Mundy, 53, to probation and a $500 fine." Charges dropped: tampering with three witnesses.

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ONLINE RESOURCE: Colorado teacher License Search LINK

State College, PENNSYLVANIA

July 25, 2007 - William A. Long Jr., 38, a teacher at Easterly Parkway Elementary School, resigned after showing up in court for a DUI sentencing with blood-alcohol content of .37

He was sentenced to six days to 12 months in jail followed by a year of supervised probation.

The board voted to accept his resignation. He had been a teacher at the school for 14 years.

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ONLINE RESOURCE: The Standards and Practices Practices Commission at the Pennsylvania Department of Education maintains and online list of actions taken against teaching certificates.

See their FAQ

Child Predators

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Take time to notice if your child’s teacher, scout leader or a neighbor is paying extra attention to them or giving them extravagant gifts. Let your children know that they have the right to say no if they feel scared of uncomfortable.”

- Stacie Rumenap, the executive director of the national nonprofit group Stop Child Predators, from an article entitled, "Child predators don’t always use Internet, group warns"

North Adams, MASSACHUSETTS

July 25, 2007 - Steven M. Green, 42, a seventh-grade teacher at Silvio O. Conte Middle School, was arrested on June 12. He pleaded not guilty to a single charge of enticing a child under the age of 16 on Jul 20.

Green was suspended without pay "until the outcome of the case."

The case was continued until August 29.

St. Helena, CALIFORNIA

The victims were ages 15 and 16 when the assaults happened, and Sandler was 33.

April 7, 2008 - Hershel Sandler, 45, a St. Helena High School coach, delayed entering a plea this afternoon. His arraignment has been rescheduled to Thursday afternoon.

Sandler is charged with committing oral copulation with a girl under age 18 between March 2, 1996 and March 1, 1999; two counts of oral copulation with a girl under age 16 between March 21, 1997 and March 20, 1998; and having sex with a girl under age 16 between March 21, 1997 and March 20, 1998.

The alleged offenses were reported to police on Jan. 28, 2008 and on Nov. 6, 2007. The complaint alleges Sandler committed similar sexual misconduct against other girls, including other teenage girls and other volleyball players, and that evidence includes witnesses and admissions by Sandler.

Sandler resigned in October 2007.
Full Name: Hershel Bernard Sandler

ARRESTED April 3 - Sandler was arrested at his home Wednesday night. The victims, now adults, were 15 and 16 when most of the incidents occurred. Sandler resigned just before the start of the wrestling season last fall, shortly after allegations of sexual misconduct came to light, according to local press accounts.

ARRAIGNMENT DELAYED April 8 - Sandler delayed entering his plea to three counts of oral copulation with a minor and one count of lewd acts against a child. A continuance of the arraignment and a bail hearing are scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The arraignment was delayed last Thursday while he found a lawyer.

Sandler previously requested that he be released on his own recognizance. He is currently being held at Napa County Jail on $250,000 bail. Napa County Superior Court Judge Stephen Kroyer denied Sandler’s request last Thursday to be released on his own recognizance, calling him “a danger to the public based on what I’ve read in the complaint.”
----------------------------
Department of Correction inmate custody entry for Sandler.
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NOT GUILTY PLEA April 11 - Sandler pleaded not guilty. Judge Rodney Stone reduced Sandler's bail to $100,000 from $250,000. The complaint alleges Sandler committed similar sexual misconduct against other girls, including other teenage girls and other volleyball players, and that evidence includes witnesses and admissions by Sandler. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 2.

SENTENCED July 23 - Sandler pleaded no contest last May to two counts of oral copulation. He was sentenced Wednesday to 270 days in Napa County Jail and five years of probation. The probation department recommended the court find that Herschel Sandler, 45, had served his time and allow him to leave the courtroom a free man.

Uppercase Judge Napa County Superior Court Judge Rodney Stone, however, disagreed, ordering Sandler to serve the nine months in the county jai - not prisonl. He must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Pleasantville, NEW JERSEY

Updated to include state monitor control of the district.




June 27, 2007 - There were calls for the resignation of Pleasantville School Board President James Pressley at the Board of Education meeting. Among the comments,

“What kind of behavior do you expect from our students?” said Charlene Clark, a special education teacher at Pleasantville High School. Clark said that as president, Pressley should lead by example, and called his behavior “discouraging.”

Pressley, 22, has said repeatedly he will not step down after being charged with DWI and reckless driving, as well as civilian complaints of assault and terroristic threats filed by board member Jerome Page and Atlantic City resident John Bunch, respectively, all within the past two weeks.

Clark submitted her resignation after the board meeting.

An editorial in the Press of Atlantic City urges the two-term, 22-year-old Pressley to resign.

Of course, any mention of the Pleasantville school district must be accompanied by the word “troubled.” Questionable contracts, violations of state laws on public meetings and public records, endless political infighting and election shenanigans haunt this school board.

Jun 20 - Pressley is alleged to have threatened a man with a gun. After totalling his car and a DWI arrest, he spoke at the graduation ceremony and urged students not to repeat his mistakes.

Jun 18 - The school board was sued for refusing to provide minutes of board meetings. They were ordered to pay $18,000 in penalities and legal fees after a newspaper sued. state-appointed special monitor who will begin overseeing the district's finances July 2. New Jersey Department of Education press release. HERE

New Jersey AFL-CIO: "Since 1997, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates Program enjoys a 76% win rate electing rank-and-file union members to public office for a total of 440 election victories so far!"

STATE MONITOR APPOINTED
July 2 - The Press of Atlantic City reports that a state-appointed monitor will take over the school district after years of controversy, scandal, personnel shuffles, legal wrangling and an unfavorable audit, as well as "A recent investigation by an independent law firm accused past and present school board members of violating the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO Act."

A press release dated March 29, 2007 by the New Jersey Department of Education outlines some of the concerns and the authority.

Under the “School District Accountability Act” approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Corzine last year, the Commissioner has the authority to appoint a state monitor in districts where serious fiscal deficiencies have been identified. The Commissioner has already appointed monitors in Willingboro, Camden, Paterson and Irvington.

TT - Bolding ours.

School Matters on Pleasantville, NJ schools. Here

Amarillo, TEXAS

SENTENCED July 24, 2007 - Martha Lynn Perry, 50, an Amarillo High School, who pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child was sentenced to eight and a half years probation and pay a $500 fine.

She must register as a sex offender. A charge of indecency with a child was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Perry is also barred from teaching.

She was indicted in 2004 for an inappropriate relationship with a child.

From cache of the Amarillo Times: Perry was arrested for performing a sex act on a 16-year-old male student. The victim was a student at a different school, not one of her students. She resigned effective Dec 14, 2004.

[Sgt. Randy] TenBrink said the charges against Perry stem from a different investigation involving Perry, which police learned about Nov. 18.

"We had a previous investigation running on the woman for knowing and failing to stop an aggravated sexual assault of a child," TenBrink said.

Police learned about Perry's alleged encounter with the teen while investigating the other incident, TenBrink said.

TenBrink said more charges could be filed against Perry for not reporting the alleged aggravated sexual assault of a child. [A 12-year-old girl.]

Child Protective Services has placed Perry's two children, a 12-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, into protective custody, according to court records.

HISTORY A mistrial was declared when the jury deadlocked in November 2005 on the charges sexual assault and three counts of indecent exposure.

ARRESTED (AGAIN) Oct 29 - Martha Lynn Perry was arrested for violating her probation.

The Randall County D.A.'s office believes Perry has had contact with at least 5 kids under 17. Earlier this year, Perry pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child. It was from an inappropriate relationship she had with a student.

Last week, we reported that the D.A. received pictures of Perry having contact with young kids on a camping trip. Randall County tells us that they will file a motion to have her probation revoked.

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ONLINE RESOURCE: State Board for Educator Certification disciplinary action search. LINK
Investigations and Enforcement FAQ

Clarksville, TENNESSEE

July 24, 2007 - Andrew Cooper, 44, a Northwest High school economics teacher and boy's basketball coach, was charged with the death of his wife, Pamela Cooper, assistant principal at Kenwood High School. Police arrested him after a manhunt that lasted 17 hours.

The couple were divorced last year. Police allege that Cooper kidnapped his ex-wife, tied her up, and shot her in the bed of his pickup truck. Neighbors called police when they arguing, a woman scream and then shots.

Clarksville high school coach arrested in slaying of ex-wife

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ONLINE RESOURCE: Tennesee Board of Education explanation of Denial, Suspension and Revocation of Teacher and Administrator Licenses.

Teacher Certification Information Search LINK

Moses Lake, WASHINGTON

Guilty plea results in one-year probation for teacher carried out by four school personnel.

First reported Mar 23, 2007 -
Samson "Sam" Lyman, a Moses Lake High School teacher who was suspended in January, was carried out of the high school after "initiating a riot," an official said.

Four school personnel carried him out of the building by his arms and his legs after he burst through the cafeteria doors and began yelling that he had been treated unfairly, peppering his language with obscenities, Principal Dave Balcom said.

"When (school officials) approached him, he jumped on a chair and started initiating a riot in our school commons," Principal Dave Balcom said. "Unfortunately it led to us having to remove him."

A police officer met him on the sidewalk. Prosecutors are considering charges. Lyman resumed a sign-carrying protest he began days earlier outside the school.

UPDATE June 6 - Lyman is scheduled to appear in court July 23. The school district forwarded reports to the state teacher licensing agency. In a strange irony, Lyman continues to study at Washington State University to achieve a doctorate in educational philosophy

Lyman was on paid leave until the end of the school AND while an "intensive investigation is completed." He's planning on suing on the way his suspension was handled.

GUILTY PLEA and SENTENCE: July 24 - Lyman pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. The judge placed him on probation until March 19, 2008, at which time the charges will be dropped, provided he has no other ciminal offenses during that time.

The high school did not extend Lyman's contract, effectively ending his employment, however, he still retains his license to teach.

Roanake, VIRGINIA

Pedophile on trial again.

July 24, 2007 - Jonathan Utin, 65, has been returned to Montgomery County to face charges that he had sex with a 12-year-old girl in the early 1970s.

In April, Utin was sentenced in Ohio to 15 years for molesting another girl. The Ohio girl was molested from the age of five to eight. She was at least the seventh victim the teacher admitted to abusing during his 30 years of being around children.

After Utin goes to trial in Virginia, he will be returned to Ohio to finish his sentence there. If he is convicted in Virginia, he will then be returned to Virginia to serve any sentence he is given here.

See TT entry for Utin.

Baltimore, MARYLAND

Sentence reduced for drug dealing teacher.

Jan 26, 2007 -
Timothy Hartlove, 37, a teacher at River Hill High School, has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine worth about $50,000.

At River Hill, Hartlove taught advanced placement courses, coached the debate and “It’s Academic” teams, and served as a faculty adviser to the Gay-Straight Alliance.

“He was a fabulous teacher,” said his attorney, Gary Bernstein. “He’s not going to be teaching in the state of Maryland because they took away his certification. It’s very dramatic. His whole life was about the teaching.”

He was terminated from Howard County public schools on Nov 11, 2005.

His lawyer said Hartlove was an addict and used the proceeds from his drug dealing to finance his habit.

Feb 1- Howard County Times reports that a search of Hartlove's Baltimore residence turned up methamphetamine, Ecstasy, marijuana and a quart of GHB, a substance known as the "date rape drug," according to a DEA agent.

SENTENCE REDUCED: July 24 - Hartlove was re-sentenced Monday to less than four years in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine worth about $50,000.

Timothy Hartlove, 37, taught at River Hill High School in Columbia for four years. He coached the debate and “It’s Academic” teams, taught advanced placement courses and served as a faculty adviser to the Gay-Straight Alliance.

No reason given for the re-sentencing.

Largo, FLORIDA

July 24, 2007 - Richard Smith, 33, a Largo High School teacher, was arrested on charges of manufacture of a controlled substance for growing marijuana plants in his home.

Police, acting on a tip, found a bedroom dedicated to growing the plants.

Investigators say that they found five full-grown marijuana plants in the closet and eleven marijuana seedlings in the bedroom. Already harvested marijuana was located in an overhead closet in a computer room.

Full Name: Richard Montgomery Smith

See St. Petersburg Times, Jul 25 Pinellas teacher accused of growing marijuana in his house

Buffalo, NEW YORK

July 23, 2007 - A hearing was postponed for Paul Hempel, 49, a teacher in Buffalo who was arrested in a bar fight which began with Nicholas Hempel allegedly hurling racial slurs at a black festival worker.

Hempel was charged with criminal impersonation of a public servant. (He approached the victim and claimed to be a police officer.) His son, Nicholas Hempel, 22, was charged with third-degree assault, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal mischief with the intent to damage property.

Nicholas Hempel was arrested again later in the week for disorderly conduct in the City of Tonawanda after a police officer allegedly saw him urinating between two Canal Fest vendor tents along Main Street, according to reports.

Paul Hemple is the husband of former North Tonawanda Councilwoman Sue Hempel.

The story of the arrest will make you grit your teeth.

HEARING POSTPONED: August 8 - The criminal hearings both Hempels, accused in a racially motivated bar fight, were postponed for the second time after the prosecutor said he still could not contact victims in the case.

The black carnival workers did not respond to written and telephone messages.

Dolthan, ALABAMA

July 20, 2007 - An Alabama teacher arrested on two counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes in July was "let go" in May by the school when they found out that he had prior arrests for bad checks and simple battery in Georgia. He had worked six months before they learned of the charges.

After letting him go and before his arrest, they were notified by the state Board of Education that Keaton Lamar Battle, 34, met the suitability criteria for employment despite his arrest records.

Michael Sibley, a department spokesman, said the department determines the suitability of school employees with less-than-perfect records on a case-by-case basis. Sibley said a federal court ruling prevents the department from issuing a blanket list of offenses that will automatically excludes people from getting a job in education.

TT - LINK for Battle

TT - In Oregon, they wanted to hire teachers who have been convicted of misdemeanor prostitution in the past. LINK

UPDATE July 22 - Turns out that Battle previously worked in Seminole County, Georgia, before coming to PASS, and the former school district gave him an excellent rating. Except they failed to mention that Battle had been charged in Seminole County for roughing up a student. PASS learned about the history in March and let Battle teach until May when they did not renew him.

UPDATE July 24 - WTVY reports that the state notified the school district that there were discrepancies in Battle's record.

"The letter came in March to the individual and was never presented to the board. So the employment body had no knowledge that he had falsified information on his employment application," said Gayla White of Dothan City School Board.

TT - Why are teachers even allowed inside a classroom before background checks are completed? If a school decides to employ a teacher without the results, why don't they ask, as a condition of employment, that the candidate take a lie detector test? Honest to God, how hard is that?

Beaufort, SOUTH CAROLINA

June 26, 2007 - A South Carolina school district has a $2 million surplus that could have been returned to taxpayers - except for the lawsuits.

The Beaufort County School District owes $4.6 million in settlement of six lawsuits associated with students who were molested by elementary school teacher Phillip Underwood-Sheppard between 1999 and 2000.

TT - We reported earlier on the lawsuits and wondered then, and still do, "Why exactly was the school district liable?"

UPDATE July 24 - The County Council refused a request by the Beaufort County Board of Education to raise net taxes $2.9 million to help pay for the lawsuits. Part of the reason appears to be that they are counting on the school district to succeed in their lawsuit against the insurance company.

"If we don't win that lawsuit, we should all be shot," Councilman Paul Sommerville said. "Starting with you, sir," he said to school district attorney Allen Smith of Columbia-based Childs & Halligan.

UPDATE August 3 - An eighth victim may pursue a lawsuit against the school district.

The school district resolved seven of the cases -- six through a total of $4.6 million in cash settlements and a seventh through payments from the district's insurance carrier,United National Insurance.

TT - still no reason given why the district is liable.

August 13 - An increase in property taxes is planned to pay of the $4.55 million in settlements . STILL no reason given why the district was liable.

Grosse Point, MICHIGAN

July 24, 2007 -

"This is a long-standing problem," former school board member Cindy Pangborn said of Bowen's behavior. "We don't reward bad behavior in our students. Why should we reward bad behavior in our faculty?"

A hearing will likely determine if Ellen Bowen, choir director at Grosse Pointe South High School, retains her teaching license.

The district drew up a behaviorial improvement plan in 1999. Her personnel file includes at least three reprimands and three suspensions. She was suspended after a conviction last month of misdemeanor assault and battery for a 2006 road rage incident involving a former student where even the judge pointed out ""She admitted that she intentionally struck the car to teach a lesson." The assault might have been the last straw.

New laws require a state hearing for teachers convicted of assault, to review whether they should continue to hold a teaching license.

September 5, 2007 - Bowen was suspended for one month and will be allowed back in the classroom in October. She's been suspended with pay since May. In a signed agreement, Bowen indicated she would not seek any further action or grievance and accepted the disciplinary action.

Sept 27 - Bowen has refused to sign a discipline agreement with the state that calls for a six-month suspension because of a road rage incident. She is appealing the action from the state Department of Education that also threatens the loss of her teaching certification if she faces any new discipline.

In August, the district suspended Bowen without pay from her $92,000 a year job because of the road rage suspension.

Jan 28, 2008 - Fighting her suspension.

Michigan law says the state Department of Education must review the certificate of any teacher convicted of certain offenses such as assault or a sexual offense. The department’s initial ruling, which Bowen is appealing today, included a six-month suspension on her license and requirements that she take anger management classes and send her performance evaluations to the MDE, among others.

Bowen has disputed many of the incidents for which she has been disciplined or the circumstances surrounding them. Her 2 1/2-inch thick personnel file includes several letters in which she asks that complaints be removed.

APPEAL DENIED Feb 13 - Bowen was denied in her appeal of a road rage conviction stemming from a 2006 incident. Wayne County Circuit Judge Carole Youngblood ruled Friday there were no prejudicial errors in her initial trial in Grosse Pointe Park Municipal Court. Bowen could appeal Youngblood's decision or ask the court to reconsider.

ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING DECISION Feb 28 - A state administrative law judge recommended that Grosse Pointe South High School choir director Ellen Bowen’s teaching certificate be suspended, but also said she could retain her teaching certificate "for the limited purpose" of teaching in Grosse Pointe Public Schools. He thought she showed no signs of being rehabilitated.

"In my view, Ms. Bowen has an anger management problem," Ward wrote in a ruling dated last Friday. "Ms. Bowen's off campus conviction appears to be related to her school related disciplines."

He also thought that "there is a strong likelihood that she will continue to use unprofessional language in front of students, parents and staff."

Next ping-pong volley: The recommendation goes to the state Superintendent Michael Flanigan, who will make the final decision about Bowen's certificate. Flanigan can accept Ward's recommendation or he can make an entirely different decision.

San Antonio, TEXAS

"The drugs were planted in my car."

July 23, 2007 - Kimberly Williams, 41, a former teacher who worked for two different school districts, neither one of which would comment on why she left, was arrested when marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs were found in her car.

A man was arrested at the same time.

He claimed he did not know anything about Williams, including her last name. "It was in her car," Meredith said. "That was her stuff. She had crack cocaine and everything, so I don't know.”

Williams worked as a special education teacher. She resigned in March. She and the man were picked up near a park.

San Antonio Express-News: Williams confessed to coming to the area to buy drugs and had brought $200 with her to make the purchase, according to police.

Oakland, CALIFORNIA

SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE INVESTIGATED

July 23, 2007 - The school district is investigating school board trustee and former teacher Chris Dobbins, 35, for his friendship with a 17-year-old high school student.

The investigation comes as a blow — not only to those directly involved, but to a board that is trying to regain credibility. After years in state receivership following a financial debacle, the school board regained a small slice of responsibility this month from the California Department of Education.

Some board members expressed disappointment and dismay at the news, while others said they wouldn't comment on the situation until the investigation was over.

"There is no excuse, no reason and no way to justify an adult having any kind of relationship with a young girl like that," said Noel Gallo, who has teenage daughters.

"Chris is a public official and a teacher," Gallo added. "I think he has no choice but to resign."
Despite pressure from his colleagues and from state administrator Kimberly Statham to step down, Dobbins said he wants to finish out his term.

Still, he said, "From here on out, my political career is over, no matter what I do."

Dobbins denies any impropriety. He turned over copies of his e-mail exchanges with the girl to the school district.

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TT - Voter information from June 2006 election. The full endorsement list includes school board member Noel Gallo as a backer, and the Oakland Education Association and its president, vice-president, and secretary.

Oakland school district was once described as , "a financially disastrous district unhappy with state control, yet, unable to run its own affairs." Kimberly Statham is the state-appointed administrator for the school district. The state bailed out the district in 2003 to the tune of $100 million.

Dobbins has a MySpace page. According to his profile, he has 592 friends. It's just so thrilling to know he's a Capricorn.

UPDATE August 2 - Police said that no criminal charges will be filed against Oakland school board member Chris Dobbins for his relationship with a 17-year-old female student.

UPDATE: August 14 - From the Berkeley Daily Planet: Last week, officials with the Youth and Family Services Section of the Oakland Police Department said that no criminal charges would be filed surrounding Dobbins’ relationship with a 17-year-old OUSD high school student because “there was nothing criminal to prosecute.”

Board members are considering a censure. TT Link

Kalamazoo, MICHIGAN

His attorney said his client "accepts responsibility and wants to put everything behind him."





June 9, 2007 - James Lighthizer, 54, assistant principal at Milwood Magnet School, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 15-year-old male student. He had been charged with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, but pleaded to a single second-degree charge.

The plea agreement stipulates to a one year in jail with no early release. He will then be on probation for 5 years. Lighthizer has to continue with sex offender counseling and comply with sex offender registration statutes.

He will be formally sentenced July 23.

UPDATE June 22 - Lighthizer will lose his teaching certificate and his job as a Kalamazoo Public Schools administrator. He's been on leave since last August. He will be dismissed once his teaching license is revoked. TT - No estimate on how long THAT will be.

SENTENCED July 23 - Lighthizer was sentenced to one year in the county jail, five years probation, must register with the Sex Offender Registry, and pay court fines and fees.

Former Assistant Principal Sentenced For Sex With Student
Siegel teacher loses license after sex plea

After this case, Gill said the school system met with Sheriff Truman Jones and his staff and revised its policy. If the staff attorney and human resources director find any merit to a complaint, they now turn it over to law enforcement for investigation. "As a result, we turn it over to law enforcement in lieu of us conducting our own in-depth investigation," Gill said.

"He will surrender his teaching certificate," [District Attorney Bill] Whitesell said. "I have it in my possession."

Charleston, WEST VIRGINIA

Eight teachers in trouble with the law over drugs in the past year.

July 23 - 2007 - The Kanawha County Board of Education is still debating random drug testing for teachers. They adopted a policy for random testing of bus drivers and mechanics. Three months ago the Board narrowly voted down testing for teachers.

"Eight [teachers], that I know of," said board member Pete Thaw when asked how many educators have been in trouble with the law over drugs in the past year."

Another board member was unconcerned. "I feel that overall they are doing a darn splendid job," said Welch. "Like I say, we have a few that have misbehaved." (Barbara Welch is the only board member without biographical information at the school board website.)

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From TT - Link for Michael White

Pratt Elementary School Principal David Anderson was charged with cocaine possession in October and was suspended from his job. Anderson was acquitted by a Kanawha County Magistrate Court jury in February and returned to his post as principal.

Other issues HERE

Teaneck, NEW JERSEY

July 23, 2007 - The Record editorializes about the guilty plea of Joseph White.

What a terrible way for children to find out that a trusted adult who had a central role in their lives was the polar opposite of what he appeared to be.

In fact, children at the high school were in danger from their own principal. He betrayed them. And he betrayed all the parents and community members who trusted him with their children and with the leadership of the township's high school.

That trust was so strong that it survived White's first arrest for the alleged sexual abuse of a teenager five years ago. The teen was a Teaneck High School student whom White was about to adopt. Loyal friends and co-workers often filled the courtroom at his trial on those charges. White was acquitted with his reputation intact -- his supporters gave him a standing ovation after the verdict was read -- and he returned to his job as principal.

In that case, it was a respected principal's word against that of the teenager, who was vilified by White's lawyer in court. In the more recent case, the teenager in question was wearing a concealed microphone and the evidence was on tape.

And

It is heartbreaking to explain to children that they must be on guard against even the people they are supposed to trust. No parent wants to destroy a child's faith in the world.

But the truth is that sexual predators are rarely frightening or repulsive. They are more often popular and charming and supportive. They know how to get children's attention and win their friendship. They work at it.

TT - It is a special betrayal for a teacher to abuse a child because students frequently spend more time with a teacher than they do their own parents. Children are expected to learn more from a teacher. Parents trust and respect teachers and through them, they try to instill respect for adults in their children.

The pity, the absolute pity, is that it is a profession that is proving itself less and less worthy of that admiration.

Muncie, INDIANA

Some people deserve our respect.

July 23, 2007 - A Muncie, Indiana judge refused to accept a plea agreement for a school secretary who was accused of stealing from several school accounts.

The deal would have allowed Judith Lynne Straub, 50,to plead guilty to theft, a class D felony carrying a standard 18-month sentence, but limited any jail time she could receive to 60 days.

Instead, Judge Robert Barnet Jr. last week declined to accept the agreement, and rescheduled Straub's trial for Oct. 3.

Warner Robins, GEORGIA

July 23, 2007 - Despite pleading guilty and being sentenced on harassment charges, a Georgia teacher has yet to fulfill part of the plea agreement to drop his appeal of his termination.

Current School Superintendent David Carpenter said Taylor “has to notify us in writing of his intent not to appeal and he has not done so yet. We expect him to, but he has not yet.”

David Carpenter said “we want to make sure to follow the law, so the personnel hearing is still scheduled.” The charges stem from May 26 incident with a co-worker at Northside Middle School at her home The reasons for the personnel hearing, beyond the indictment were spelled out in a letter from Carpenter sent to Taylor the week after his arrest.

According to a letter from Danny Carpenter, Taylor was told on Feb. 9, 2006 and April 1, 2004 about unprofessional behavior and discussing his personal life with students.

Carpenter said Taylor apparently “willfully and intentionally violated the directives contained in these letters,” by discussing the relationship with other teacher and one or more students including using students to deliver personal notes and messages.

“In doing so,” Carpenter wrote, “you have behaved unprofessionally and in direct violation of my directives, all of which constitute insubordination.”

Taylor’s arrest for the criminal offenses above toward another teacher at the school was also cited. “Your behavior can not and will not be tolerated by this school district as such behavior is wrong, unprofessional for an educator employed by this district,” Carpenter said, “and constitutes immorality and other good an sufficient cause as defined by the Fair Dismissal Act.”
Carpenter also referred to previous criminal charges, saying in the letter, “unfortunately this is not the first occasion in which you have been charged with criminal charges involving your personal life.”

These charges, according tot the District Attorney’s Office include a guilty plea to a violation of family violence order on Nov. 10, 2004, which Taylor was given 12 months probation and ordered to stay away from the victim and abide by a custody order.

The charges were reduced on the Aug. 27, 2003, offense from the original three count indictment on aggravated stalking, battery - family violence and terroristic threats or acts. Taylor also pled guilty less than a year later, on July 21, 2005, to simple assault and harassing phone calls for a June 30, 2005, incident. He was sentenced to 24 months probation and ordered to have no contact with the victim or her family.

TT - LINK to Taylor entry.
Using the difficulty of firing a tenured teacher in plea bargains was a subject of a Daily Rant at Teachers and Trash Education. TT - LINK

Highly Qualified Teachers

You would think finding "highly qualified teachers" was equivalent to the search for the Holy Grail.

July 22, 2007 - At least the Bakersfield Chronicle apparently thinks so.

Of Kern's 250 or so schools, 141 traditional schools had yet to meet the No Child Left Behind requirement to have 100 percent highly qualified teachers as of October 2006. Of those 141 schools, about 74 percent are considered "high poverty."

They quote the coordinator for teacher quality for the California Department of Education.

"That tells us right there the neediest kids in our state are still not getting access to those experienced, highly qualified teachers."

The methods of recruiting and keeping highly qualified teachers vary. "Competitive salaries" and assuming student loans if they agree to teach in needy areas and bonuses are all considered.
---------------------- OPINION ----------------------
TT - To be a highly qualified teacher, you only need three things:

1. A bachelor’s degree
2. State credential or intern certificate/credential for no more than three years
3. Demonstrated competence in the core academic subject or subjects they teach. They can prove that competence in a number of ways, such as by passing a test or taking classes in that subject.

If it strikes you that those are what you thought were the minimal requirements all along to be a teacher, join the club. It's what the No Child Left Behind Act was all about. One of their core requirements was to ask for those three things to improve teacher quality.

The problem isn't the bachelor's degree. It's that colleges that awarded those degrees are turning out graduates who can't pass certification and licensing tests, let alone demonstrate competence in the core academic subject they teach by passing a simple test.

The worst part about this, however, is that the unqualified teacher continues to predominate in classroom. Despite failing either, or both, of these competency exams, teachers are given 1 to 4 years to practice teaching on your child, despite lack of aptitude. That's why retention rates are so bad. It isn't low salaries; it's low test scores. Over and over.

If 56% of Kern schools can't meet the NCLB Act requirement that 100% of the teachers are -- let's call it what it is -- minimally qualified -- it's because the Kern schools and the teachers unions don't want it to succeed. They're pinning their hopes on a change in the White House. That way, no one will know just how little they care about teacher quality.

And they will continue to cheat children out of an education, further miring blacks in poverty and Hispanics into the same low expectations. Uneducated voters don't vote. It's a win-win for incompetent schools.

Nanty Glo, PENNSYLVANIA

School's out.

July 21, 2007 - Donald Edward Thomas II, 36, an elementary school teacher, is facing charges of attempting to steal firewood, becoming unruly with state police and driving while intoxicated. "Both the attempted theft and drunken driving charges are misdemeanor offenses. The three summary violations of disorderly conduct and one of public drunkenness will be addressed in apreliminary that scheduled for September 17.

He is also charged with simple assault and harassment in a domestic violence at his apartment. He was arraigned on that and released on bail. A preliminary hearing on that is scheduled for July 30.

Thomas is the son of Donald Thomas, the Blacklick Valley superintendent, who has removed himself from the review by school authorities.

---

TT - From Greatschools.com - The Blacklick School District has 2 schools with 681 students, 336 at the elementary school.

You often wonder why such people feel no responsibility to behave for the sake of parents and the students they teach.

Maynard, MASSACHUSETTS

LAWSUIT

July 21, 2007 - Joseph Magno died a day before his trial could begin on charges of raping a 13-year-old boy. Fourteen other boys were also slated to testify against the 66-year-old teacher. Now one victim's family is suing the town of Maynard.

The mayor refused to give the specifics of the lawsuit.
See TT - LINK for Magno.

Colchester, CONNECTICUT

July 21, 2007 - Michael J. Garvie, 30, a teacher and coach at St. Bernard, a Catholic school, has resigned. He was arrested July 6 on charges of enticing a minor and risk of injury to a minor for internet sex chats with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl. It was a police officer.

According to court documents, Garvie told police he and his wife had recently returned from their honeymoon and he had never intended to meet with the girl. That caused a poster at the site to wonder,

Please let us know why men will do this internet thing. I find it so difficult to understand. Why do they endanger their lives, wives and careers for this obvious thrill. Are they mentally unstable, do they have some weakness that believes they are above us all or are they obsessive about this type of action and is there any help or treatment for them? If so what is the rate of cure?

TT - We wonder, too. But for sheer wonderfulness, there was this comment:

"Why is he pleading not guilty if everyone knows he did it???

If he worked at a public school, it would be a different matter. Teacher Tenure Law in Connecticut.

Benton, ILLINOIS

One of the most respected and popular public figures in Franklin County. (Which is worrisome.)

July 21, 2007 - Barry Kohl, 60, Superintendent of the Franklin-Williamson Regional Office of Education,** was sentenced to 6 years for felony bribery and 2 years for guilty pleas to theft by deception, felony theft (over $300) and three counts of official misconduct.

He pleaded guilty in April. In addition to prison time, he will also lose his pension.

[Franklin County State’s Attorney Tom Dinn said Kohl will forfeit his Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund pension following his bribery conviction.

“If you are a felon you forfeit your pension,”” Dinn said. “He’s lost everything he worked for - not just his retirement, but his reputation.”

** Franklin-Williamson Regional Office of Education provides support services to 15 school districts in both Franklin and Williamson counties in Southern Illinois. - from their website.

Kohl was forced to resign after the U.S. Department of Education announced funding would be pulled if he remained on the job. It is an elected position.

Lorain, OHIO

July 21, 2007 - A school district that recently learned from the district’s new treasurer that the district would be $4.75 million in debt by June 30 has laid off 243 teachers and 22 preschool teacher aides. The Chronicle-Telegram also lists the names of all of the teachers who were laid off.

Not reported in the story above, but found in the Morning Journal, is that the district has also laid off 101 administrators and support staff, putting the total number of people being laid off at 366.

The Chronicle-Telegram gives what appears to be the reason for the massive shortfall in revenue.

For the 2006-07 school year, the district offered all-day preschool to more than 400 students, which cost more than $3.3 million.

But the district received only $94,000 in tuition — covering the remaining $3.2 million internally — because tuition was based on family income, the release said.

TT - How did a pre-school program that enrolled 400 children cost $3.3 million?

West Las Vegas, NEW MEXICO

July 20, 2007 - Roberta Vigil, a Director of Bilingual Education, pleaded not guilty to charges of

Fraud (2nd degree felony),

Misuse of Public Money (4th degree felony),

Prohibited Sales by School Board Members (4th degree felony) and

Conspiracy (3rd degree felony).

I n addition, Roberta Vigil is charged with Tampering with Public Records (4th degree felony) and Procurement Code violation (misdemeanor).

The accusations against her include allegedly reporting false test scores to the Public Education Department to boost the number of students labeled as “English language learners” and thus increase the amount of funding for the district.

Four members of the West Las Vegas school district were indicted on government corruption charges in June.

Vigil is the wife of Rep. Richard Vigil, D-Las Vegas. She is also the sister-in-law of Robert Vigil, the former state treasurer who was convicted in federal court last September of attempted extortion. He resigned in October 2005 as lawmakers were considering whether to impeach him. He began serving a 37-month sentence in April.

TT - LINK to previous post and New Mexico Attorney General press release.

Feb 23, 2008 - Vigil is now a part-time instructor at Luna Community College. College interim president Sigfredo Maestas says he was aware of the indictment when he hired Vigil as an adjunct instructor in a teacher education course.

Muskogee, OKLAHOMA

Sentenced to 18 months for stealing student medications.





Jan 9, 2007 - Melba Polston, 39, was arrested after she did not show up for a court hearing. She is charged with possession of a controlled substance within 2-thousand feet of a school and with tampering with a security camera or system.

Polston was suspended from a Muskogee elementary school Nov 1, 2006 after an investigation into missing student prescriptions. The school board is set (Jan 9) to dismiss her.

Last November, school leaders discovered some students' prescriptions were missing. "That process has both the parent and the person receiving the medication both signing off that the count is correct and that’s when a red flag went up, when there was not enough pills for the child in that particular case," said [Muskogee Superintendent Mike] Garde.

Polston worked with a program that benefits elementary-age children who are in disciplinary trouble.

Feb 27 - A due process hearing has been scheduled for Feb 27 to discuss and vote on dismissal of an elementary teacher who had been charged with possession of a controlled substance.

SENTENCED: July 21 - After pleading no contest, Polston was given an 18-month deferred sentence, meaning that her record will be expunged at some later date. The tampering with a security camera charge was dismissed as part of the plea.

Gloucester, MASSACHUSETTS

She kicked one officer in the groin, bit another and had to be wrestled to the floor.

July 21, 2007 - Kathleen Burley, 47, a high school special education teacher, was sentenced to 4 years in prison and 10 years probation after her 4th drunk driving conviction. She was also found guilty in of three counts of assault and battery on a police officer for kicking a patrolman in the groin during her arrest in Sept. 2006.

When the officer stopped her, she asked him not to arrest her because she was a high school teacher. After the arrest, she kicked one officer in the groin. During interrogation, she threw jewelry at one officer and bit another, had to be wrestled to the floor.

Wagram, NORTH CAROLINA

"I would have never thought she was drunk. She’s a school teacher.”

Apr 20, 2007 - Vickie White Leavitt, 48, a first-grade teacher at Wagram Primary School, was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and failure to properly secure a child in a car.

She was taking a neighbor's 7-year-old child to school. Leavitt had a blood-alcohol level of .30, nearly four times the legal limit of .08, according to court documents.

Court records show that Leavitt pleaded guilty to impaired driving in 2004. She had a blood-alcohol level of .26 when she was pulled over on U.S. 15-501 near Carthage. Leavitt’s driving record shows that since 1998 her license has been revoked two other times and she has been involved in two crashes.

She is scheduled to appear in court May 9.
TT - The boy was one of her pupils. Presumably, she was on her way to teach a classroom full of first graders.

Apr 25 - Leavitt resigned.

July 20 - Leavitt pleaded guilty and was sentenced Leavitt to two years in prison, but he suspended the term. She was given 45 days in jail but received credit for 22 days — the majority of which was spent in a substance abuse treatment center. Since 1998, her license has been revoked three other times, and she has been involved in two crashes, according to her driving record.

---

North Carolina State Board of Education is one of the few states that maintains an online list of Disciplinary Actions.

Las Vegas, NEVADA

KAZEE WILL NOT BE CHARGED BECAUSE STUDENT WAS 16 AT THE TIME.

July 20, 2007 - Two teachers have been arrested as a result of a successful lawsuit against the Fayette public schools. A third teacher, Richard M. Kazee, who was accused but not arrested teaches in Las Vegas, despite a conviction on a misdemeanor sex solicitation charge.

In 1991, Kazee was convicted of soliciting an undercover police officer for sex and suspended from teaching, according to his Fayette County personnel file.

He didn’t lose his job after the conviction because a judge and a three-member tribunal decided the school district had not acted quickly enough in coming to a decision on his case.

But Kazee was suspended a second time in November 1991 after drinking beer on campus during a first aid class for coaches. Kazee fabricated a story about switching the beer with non-alcoholic beer to try to cover up the incident, according to school personnel files.

Some interesting statistics about Clark County, Nevada.

[Fred Perdomo, principal of Carson City High School and member of the Nevada Commission on Professional Standards in Education] said the sheer size of Clark County’s district could be a factor in why Kazee found a job there. The Clark County School District is the fifth largest in the country, [Byron Green, director of recruitment for the district] said. It opens an average of 12 new schools a year, hires 2,500 to 3,000 teachers a year and deals with tens of thousands of applicants.

Green said the number of applicants has no effect on the screening process, but [Fred Perdomo, principal of Carson City High School and member of the Nevada Commission on Professional Standards in Education] was not so sure. “Las Vegas on any given day is 500 teachers short of their needs,” Perdomo said. “They have so many openings and so much need, maybe it slipped through the cracks.”

About three-fourths of Nevada’s teachers come from out of state, Perdomo said, adding that teachers leaving one state for another after problems in a school are fairly common.

See - The lawsuit against Fayette County, Kentucky TT - LINK
See - The teamsters union are battling the teachers union for control of the right to represent teachers in Clark County. See TT - LINK

August 29 - Police in Lexington, Kentucky, will not be charging Kazee because Maler was 16 at the time of the "interaction."

Charlottesville, NORTH CAROLINA

Story dated July 15, 2007 - No one seems to be responsible for the job offer to Debra Duncan to be the next principal of Greenbrier Elementary School. It turned out that they changed their minds when they finally conducted a background check.

Duncan’s husband, Eric, has been connected with a 1990 unsolved murder in San Antonio involving 11-year-old Heidi Seeman. Eric Duncan, a former Air Force officer, was investigated by the Air Force in 1996 but the case was never brought to a military trial.

Duncan was never charged

It's not the first time the Charlottesville has had a problem with background checks. A former superintendent resigned when two lawsuits dating back to 1999 were discovered. She sued one school district and was sued BY another. Both were settled. No details were given of either lawsuit.

Greensboro, NORTH CAROLINA

Talk about role models.

July 20, 2007 - The Guilford County School Superintendent has asked a judge to allow a news anchorman who has been charged DWI and with death by motor vehicle to speak to Driver's Education students in response to a request by the news anchorman's lawyer.

WFMY News2 got a copy of the letter the school superinendent wrote.

"Mr. Carr is a resident of Greensboro who teaches at Winston-Salem State University and was the morning news anchor at WXII; that he will be pleading guilty to the felony charges he is facing; that he is presently residing in the Winston-Salem jail and that he is extremely remorseful for his misconduct.


My guess is that a professional teacher and speaker who admits criminal guilt and takes responsibility for the death of another person could be a powerful and positive influence on our students. Please accept this letter as an invitation to the court and to Mr. Carr to participate in our driver's education program. If it proves successful, I will advise other superintendents in the Piedmont Coalition."

TT - The media doesn't report if the anchorman and the school superintendent are personally acquainted, but it would be nice to know how the school executive knows the news anchorman is remorseful. It occurs to us that calling drunk driving that resulted in death "misconduct" seems to miss the point that it was a C-R-I-M-E and someone D-I-E-D.

Wouldn't it be more effective to invite the family of the victim? He was 26-year-old Casey Ryan Bokhoven, who died across the street from his home. Oh, wait, the victim or his family aren't celebrities. Our bad.

The Winston-Salem Journal provides links to:
Letter to the court. PDF
Police Report of arrest. PDF

Mason, OHIO

July 20, 2007 -
Russell Fallon, 29, (shown at the left) an eighth grade teacher at Mason Middle School and football coach, was arrested, charged with possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance.

Another teacher was cited for possession of marijuana at the same time. (same school)

Police were called to a hotel in Covington, Kentucky after a hotel employee complained about a loud party. The hotel management wanted Fallon and two others to leave. Police searched the room after smelling marijuana.

See WCPO CH 9 Coverage
Make sure to see the school district response in the Middletown Journal story.

Dayton Daily News: A third man, Jabree Jones, 27, of Cincinnati, was also arrested and charged with drug possession.

WCPO 9 (Jul 20) reports that after the charges, the two men spent this past week teaching a football camp for Mason students.

Story date August 9 - All charges were dropped against the second teacher following a drug test and polygraph test. The polygraph showed that not only was he not involved the night in question but had never smoked or possessed marijuana at any time. Link Link

Teacher Conduct

RANT OF THE DAY

A good many teacher misconduct cases are finalized in a plea bargain agreement. Whether it's an Alford plea or it's called "No Contest," or a guilty plea, not infrequently the news reports include "As part of the plea agreement, he accepted the loss of his teaching license." or "The teacher agreed to surrender their teaching license." It ought to be automatic that the teacher loses his license for engaging in sex with a child, but the vagaries of the Education Establishment is that it is not a foregone conclusion.

A recent case illustrates perfectly how the difficulty of firing a teacher gives the defendant a bargaining chip that no other group of citizens is given. Lance Diefenderfer, a 38-year-old assistant principal was sentenced to 1 year of home confinement for sex with a 16-year-old student. In a story on the sentencing, there was this rationale for the conclusion of the case.

Assistant Solicitor Julie Anders said the main goal was to ensure that Diefenderfer never taught again. As a condition of the plea agreement, his teaching license was permanently revoked last week, Anders said in court Thursday.

Not justice for the victim, mind you, but convenience for the state of South Carolina.

Why is it that police or firemen aren't asked to give up their badges in negotiations with prosecutors when either are accused, or convicted, of sex crimes? They lose their badges.

We give teachers free and unmonitored access to our children. That alone creates a bond of trust we offer few individuals. We would frown if a doctor called our child on a cell phone or sent instant text messages asking the child to visit them at their homes. We would be outraged if the doctor encouraged our child to borrow her sister's car to visit him at his house and then lie to her parents. We would be incensed if he picked up the child at home and told us they were going to a library and then proceeded to have oral sex at his home.

In every profession, we would find such behavior so abominable that it would call for jail and automatic peer review. Why is it that teaching is the one profession that it isn't guaranteed that peer review would even occur, let alone result in revocation of his or her license?

Teaching isn't a privilege. It's being privileged because the same state that hires the teacher also prosecutes the teacher for misconduct. The result is a blatant conflict of interest.

See Passing the Trash, Self-policing doesn't work TT - LINK
See TT - LINK - Plea agreement includes dropping termination appeal.

Columbus, OHIO

July 20, 2007 - A former student who was abused by Angela Koppes is suing the school board, claiming they knew of the crimes. Koppes is also named in the lawsuit as well as Jonathan Alder High School and the special education program. Several John Does are also included.

Arrested in 2006, Angie Koppes, a former tutor at Jonathan Alder High School, pleaded guilty (in April 2007) to two counts of sexual battery against one of her 17-year-old special education students. She was sentenced to six months in prison.

Bizarrely, in a KBNS-10 news story on her expected arraignment, Koppes approached the boy's mother.

Angela Koppes, the teacher's tutor at Jonathan Alder, approached the mother of the victim indicating that she was in love with her 17-year-old son and that they had been having a sexual relationship," said Lt. Doug Crabbe, Madison County Sheriff's Department.

A special prosecutor is being brought in because Koppes' husband is an official in Madison County.

MSNBC also stated that

During the original trial, Koppes' attorney claimed, her Multiple Sclerosis and bipolar disorders were to blame for the crime.
When Koppes is released she will be on probation for five years and will have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Standards for Graduation

Lawsuit creates legislation.

July 19, 2007 - A lawsuit has been tentatively settled between lawyers representing Richmond, Newark and Oakland students and the state of California pending passage of legislation that schools would ensure students who failed exit exams the right to return for additional classes.

That may mean students re-enroll as seniors, sign up for independent study or receive some other type of service, said Hilary McLean, department of education spokeswoman.

BACKGROUND The state of California approved the exit exam as a graduation requirement in 1999.

Passage of the test as a graduation requirement was scheduled to begin in 2004. But, in the face of poor test results, lawmakers delayed the requirement until 2006 and changed the difficulty of the exam, which now measures eighth-grade math and sophomore English skills. Students must pass both parts of the test to earn a diploma.

TT - It is a wonder that students don't sue the state for those loans they have to take out the first year of college to pay for remedial classes.

Lexington, KENTUCKY

LAWSUIT

July 19, 2007 - A lawsuit we have been following closely has concluded with a jury recommendation of $3.7 million in damages to Carol Maner, a former student who sued the Fayette County Board of Education.

The lawsuit accused the Board of Education of covering up sexual abuse by former teachers and administrators over 25 years ago. The lawsuit alleged abuse by four teachers, a guidance counselor and an assistant principal at Lafayette High School and Beaumont Junior High School in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Two of the teachers named in Maner’s suit were arrested last week.

UPDATE A YEAR LATER July 1, 2008 - Criminal cases against either teacher has been delayed for a year.

Madison County Commonwealth's Attorney David Smith took over the case in April.

Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson, whose office was originally assigned the case, said he had to recuse himself because the husband of a prosecutor in the office is related to one of the defendants.

Part of the delay is attributable to miscommunication within the office, Larson said.
Larson thought a prosecutor, Brad Bates, was going to write a letter transferring the cases. Bates thought Larson was going to do that. Months later, they discovered neither one had transferred them.

The two teachers are former art teacher Roberta Walter, 62, (formerly Roberta Blackwell) and former science teacher Jack Russell Hubbard, 61. Walter is charged with third-degree sodomy and third-degree rape. She retired from the Fayette County school district in May 1998. Hubbard, who left the district in 1981, is charged with one count of third-degree rape and four counts of first-degree sodomy.

Smith office is reviewing the tape of Maner's civil trial and is preparing to present the cases to a grand jury.

San Franciso, CALIFORNIA

It's Wednesday, his bondage night.

July 19, 2007 - Police arrested Terry D. Frazier, 40, in connection with the murder of Joe Konopka, a 65-year-old former community activist. It was, they think, a sadomasochistic bondage session that went awry,

In recent years, police said, Konopka engaged in sex and bondage sessions, always on Wednesday evenings while his wife, a school administrator, attended San Mateo Union High School District board meetings.

How quaint.

Babble

July 19, 2007 - The editorial board of The Post-Star [Glen Falls, NY] discussed "mandates" with the head of the New York State United Teachers union. (Mandates = teacher union talk for the No Child Left Behind Act.)

NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi said during an interview with The Post-Star editorial board that rather than testing, he wants schools to be less dependent on testing, so more focus goes toward developing the growth of a child.

"From our perspective, it [The No Child Left Behind Act] went at it in a punitive way, a tremendous overdependence on testing — snapshot testing rather than measuring the growth of a child," Iannuzzi said about NCLB.

And then,

The bill has also put pressure on teachers while limiting how much exposure to history, the arts, and foreign languages students receive."What is expected of teachers, in terms of total package of time and energy, is not unreasonable," he said.

"What’s unreasonable is so much of the time and energy is devoted to preparing for testing; testing that is not necessarily as valuable as it should be, and then reacting to the results to tests, as opposed to what teachers are trained for — the art of teaching, looking at the growth of a child, developing awareness and understanding."We move away from that, and move toward testing," he said.

TT - Read the whole thing again and replace "testing" with "teaching."

Godwin Heights, MICHIGAN

What is "unethical behavior?"

July 19, 2007 - Firing teachers is a legal dance.

A veteran Godwin Heights High School teacher is on paid leave while the district files tenure charges to have him fired over what administrators call "performance issues."

Superintendent Valdis Gailitis said Wednesday the Board of Education voted Tuesday to dismiss science teacher Robert Czachorski for "unethical behavior."

Czachorski has taught in the district for 37 years.

Gailitis said he could not discuss details of the charges because Czachorski requested the session be conducted behind closed doors. A hearing before the state teacher tenure commission, which will determine whether he will be fired, has yet to be scheduled.

Gailitis said the teacher was placed on administrative leave near the end of the school year because of classroom performance issues.

He said there are no criminal charges and no students were involved.

Czachorski referred questions to his union attorney, Fil Iorio, who said he will fight charges of poor performance.

"You don't last 37 years as a teacher if there are performance issues," he said. "Mr. Czachorski has had good evaluations, and we will challenge this."

TT - Chances are the newspaper will not follow up on the attempt to fire the teacher, the teacher will incur no cost whatsoever in fighting the action, the school will continue to pay him for not being in the classroom as well as the cost of a substitute to replace him when this drags on to the new school year. Taxpayers will also pay for the school district attorney's time as well as the tenure commission. No final report will ever be public as both sides claim "confidentiality."

Greenville, SOUTH CAROLINA

The teacher apologized for his actions and told the judge that he wanted to move on with his life.





July 19, 2007 -
Lance Diefenderfer, 38 a Southside High School teacher and assistant principal, was sentenced after pleading guilty to having a sexual relationship with a student in 2003.

He pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He resigned in September 2006 after a conversation with Prinicipal Paulette Payne about possible “inappropriate behavior.” He was arrested and charged in November 2006. The girl was in the 11th grade. The victim reported the incidents to the sheriff’s office after watching a TV special that had similarities to her relationship with Difenderfer.

The sentence was one year of home incarceration, two years probation and a $3,000 fine. As a condition of the plea agreement, Diefenderfer’s teaching license was permanently revoked last week.

TT - Why should permanent revocation of a license be a bargaining point in the first place? Why isn't it a given that someone guilty of a sex crime - even a misdemeanor - automatically loses their license to teach in South Carolina and in every other state?

South Carolina permanent voluntary surrender of educator certificate.

Misconduct Reporting

July 19, 2007 - Found in an Albuquerque Tribune story about the voyeurism teacher in New Mexico.

The state has new laws that require school district officials to report allegations of teacher misconduct to the bureau to prevent the movement of problem teachers around the state. In the past, some districts have hired teachers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked.

In 2006, two Albuquerque educators lost their licenses after investigations into misappropriation of funds and sexual relations with a student.

The bureau conducted more than 100 investigations in 2006, revoked the licenses of 17 educators and suspended three others. The 20 actions set a three-year high, which state officials said reflected a tougher stance on teacher misconduct.

Districts are not notified of actions against a teacher's license until after the teacher is on the job. License checks are done on the 40th, 80th and 120th day of school, state officials said.

TT - What they don't tell you is that ten of the 17 involved sex crimes, pornography and sexual relationships with students. As of November 2006, the department's Ethics Bureau was investigating 104 cases of teacher misconduct. "Those include 27 cases carried over from 2005." TT - LINK

It's worth following education stories in New Mexico.
TT - LINK and LINK

Child Pornography

July 19, 2007 - We don't know how an unpublished study on child pornography conducted by psychologists treating sex offenders at federal prisons can be, in the words of the New York Times, "stirring a vehement debate among psychologists, law enforcement officers and prison officials, who cannot agree on how the findings should be presented or interpreted."

The Bureau of Prisons ordered the study paper to be withdrawn in April because it did not meet agency approval.

Sometimes the New York Times has agendas so obscure that reflexively you dismiss their word with a strong glass of scepticism.

TT maintains a list of teachers and administrators who have been Sentenced for Child Pornography and a separate list of those who have Pleaded Guilty - to be sentenced.

Arroyo Grande, CALIFORNIA

The Nifong defense.

July 19, 2007 - You knew it would happen after North Carolina's Mike Nifong demonstrated prosecutorial misconduct to a national audience in the Duke University prosecution.

In the closing arguments in the case against David Eugene Grey, the 70-year-old elementary school teacher accused of French kisssing a student, his lawyer invoked the Nifong defense.

During his closing statements, defense attorney David Hurst told the jury he doesn't want the case to turn into something like the Duke University lacrosse team rape case, where the public and officials assumed guilt when three rape charges were announced.

TT - In Grey's case, there is a previous history and indication that the school district and the district attorney may have ignored police recommendations in the past.
See TT -LINK to his entry.

Thompkinsville, KENTUCKY

Sentenced to ten years.

First reported: Jan 2, 2007 - WKBO had their own "Local 2006 Top 10 Stories" that included (at #7) " the case of a Tompkinsville teacher who’s charged with running off to Mexico with a 14-year-old student."

Angela Comer, 26, an 8th grade math teacher at Monroe County Middle School, is accused of having a sexual relationship with the boy and then taking him to Mexico. "Officials in Kentucky said the pair fled to Texas, and then Mexico, to try to get married." Comer is still in jail awaiting her trial." She was indicted in January 2006.

Update May 1 - Comer is asking for a change of venue for her trial.

Comer was arrested by Mexican officials in 2006. The middle school math teacher for fled the country with a 14-year-old student and her four-year-old son. In January 2006, Comer was indicted by a grand jury in Kentucky on felony custodial interference, two counts of third-degree sodomy and four counts of unlawful transaction with a minor relating to sexual acts.

CourtTV background story.

Comer is incarcerated while she waits for her trial. No date given for trial or explanation for the delay.

Update May 2 -The judge refused to grant a change of venue. Last fall, Comer was ruled competent to stand trial. Trial is scheduled for May 10.

Update May 9 - Comer pleaded guilty to a sodomy charge and to one count of custodial interference. The plea agreement, apparently, calls for 10 years in jail. The boy's grandmother was in the court. After Comer's arrest, the boy was removed from her care and put into a foster home. He's embarrassed by the incident and has had little contact with his family since he was moved into foster care, she said.

Comer gave an interview to the Associated Press after the court appearance. Comer said she expects to be eligible for parole after serving 24 months of the sentence. Comer has been in jail for the 16 months since her arrest.

Comer also said since her arrest her ex-husband has not permitted her to see her 5-year-old son, who is autistic.

Formal sentencing in June 20.

UPDATE June 20 - Sentencing was delayed because a presentencing evaluation wasn't complete. A new sentencing date has been set for July 18.

INTERVIEW - July 16 - Two days before sentencing, Comer wanted to tell her side of the story and a newspaper granted her an interview.

SENTENCING: July 18: Comer was sentenced to ten years in prison, five for each charge, to be served consecutively.

[Judge] Lovelace told the court room he was "appalled" at her behavior and considering any other punishment other than time served would minimize the seriousness of her crime.

She will be up for parole in 24-months.

Chaska, MINNESOTA

NOT GUILTY VERDICT AFTER 2 HR DELIBERATION

Mar 8, 2007 - A date has been set for the trial of Julia Lund, 28, a Chaska High School ESL (English as a second language) teacher arrested Dec 14.

She was charged with third-degree criminal sex conduct after a 17-year-old male student made allegations of inappropriate behavior. See Kare 11 coverage. Third-degree criminal sexual conduct involves sexual penetration with a victim older than 16 but younger than 18 by a person in a position of authority.

She has been on [paid] administrative leave since the allegations were made. Her next court date is April 12. The jury trial is scheduled for May 8.

Update May 8 - Lund's trial date has been rescheduled to begin July 10.

NOT GUILTY - Story dated July 16 - A jury found Lund not guilty after two hours of deliberation.

NOT GUILTY VERDICT AFTER 2 HR DELIBERATION

July 17 - From WCCO.com

Lund's defense argued that not all wrong-doing is criminal. After the verdict was announced, Lund sobbed and hugged her husband.

Albuquerque, NEW MEXICO

July 18, 2007 - Christopher Lucero, 24, a 6th grade teacher at Lavaland Elementary School last year, was arrested and charged with four counts of felony voyeurism after being accused of using a video camera to shoot up the skirts of young girls at an amusement park.

Under the state's voyeurism law, it's illegal to take pictures up a skirt showing a person's undergarments. Lucero is charged with a fourth-degree felony because the case involves a child.

Police spokesman John Walsh said Lucero had a camera attached to his shoe with a wire running up his pants leg to a recorder in his pocket.

Police reviewed the camera footage and found what they described as inappropriate pictures of four young girls.

See Albuquerque Journal. The father of an 8-year-old chased the pervert down. LINK Story is being updated continually online at the paper.

July 21 - Lucero pleaded not guilty. A grand jury is slated to consider the case on Sept. 17.

Leonardtown, MARYLAND

I remember when .. hic... there used to... hic .. used to be... hic shtandards in schools.

July 18, 2007 - A 52-year-old Leonardtown High School English teacher will be spending two months in jail this summer for a DUI conviction.

He was found guilty in a court trial in August 2006 and was sentenced to 120 days, with 60 days suspended.

The sentence was postponed until June 11 — the last day of school for teachers — to allow for [the teacher] to teach last year.

[He] has two prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol — in June 1988 and December 1995, according to court records.

School Principal O’Neill did say that the teacher would likely be continuing to teach at Leonardtown this fall. ‘‘I think he’s a very capable teacher.”

TT - He will be hard pressed to beat the Masschusetts ** health** teacher who is still teaching after 5 DUI convictions.

Aurora, ILLINOIS

July 18, 2007 - Ronald L. Watson Jr., 26, a West Aurora High School teacher, was indicted and charged with three counts of criminal sexual assault and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for incidents that are alleged to have occurred in March 2006 with a 17-year-old female student. He pleaded not guilty.

Watson resigned in December after the school became aware of the relationship. The school alerted police.

Although the student had reached the age of sexual consent, a 17-year-old cannot legally consent to sexual activity with anyone in a position of authority or supervision -- such as a teacher.

Watson is scheduled to appear in court again Aug. 23.

Chicago Daily Herald headline: Ex-W. Aurora teacher arrested for tryst with student. The headline editor apparently missed the words, "sexual abuse" and "sexual assault."

Anyone with additional information about Watson should call the Kane County Child Advocacy Center at (630) 208-5160.

Kane County Chronicle: His father-in-law posted his bail.

Watson resigned in December 2006 when the criminal investigation began.
The allegations mark the first against Watson, but are not the first time a teacher in the West Aurora school district has faced similar accusations.

Curtis Shaw, 56, a teacher and coach at the high school, was placed on paid leave last September after he was charged with sexually abuse. He has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a 52-year-old woman in his home, and awaits trial.

In April 2004, a lawsuit was filed against the school district, stating that a Jefferson Middle School seventh-grader was sexually abused in 2003 by a man who was allowed to remove the 13-year-old from the school several times during school hours.

Sept 11 - SHAW WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY IN A BENCH TRIAL.

Bohemia, NEW YORK

July 18, 2007 - Jeffrey Biglin, 24, a Connetquot High School substitute teacher and coach, was arrested and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of the student for sending sexually explicit text messaging to a female student and arranging middle-of-the-night meetings outside the girl's home.

The Suffolk Police Press Release doesn't have much more information except they say he engaged in sexually explicit text messaging with a female juvenile student. No age given.

Degree Scandal

July 17, 2007 - From the New York Times.

Touro College’s former admissions director and former computer center director and three New York City public school teachers have been indicted on charges that they took part in a scheme involving fraudulent transcripts, the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgentau, said yesterday.

He said those defendants were among 10 people indicted in a “cash for grades scheme” in which students’ transcripts were altered and transcripts and degrees were created for people who had never attended the institution, including the three city teachers. The teachers were said to have bought falsified master’s degrees from Touro that helped in their promotion and their certification

The teachers are Florence Constant, Renee Rene and Ghislene Joseph Julmice. A NY State a spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Education

said they were still on the payroll but were not working this summer. She added that they would be reassigned to positions outside the classroom until the charges were resolved, and dismissed if found guilty. She said that Ms. Constant and Ms. Rene were both tenured and could not be dismissed without a hearing.

Constant made $64,333 a year. Rene was paid $60,889 a year. Julmice was paid $42,512 a year.

New York Press says there are indications the scam has been ongoing since 2003. The three teachers paid $3,000 each for certificates in special education—entitling them to employment bonuses—even though they had never taken any classes.

Newsday: "Money was collected from the teachers by a bag man who was identified in Baron's cell phone by the nickname Jimmy Bag, the district attorney said."

The New York Post headline: 'B.S.' DEGREES $CAM AT TOURO

Prosecutors are desperate to determine whether any of the dummy diplomas include bogus bachelor's of science in physician-assistant studies - the degree necessary to become a certified physician's assistant.

Investigators found blank physician's-assistant certificates while searching one of the administrators' homes - that of ex-admissions honcho and accused mastermind Andrique Baron, 34.

Rockport, MAINE

July 18, 2007 - Brian Roberts, 41, a former Camden Hills High School teacher, was arrested for stalking a 17-year old former student.

He was charged with charged with stalking, violation of a protective order and violating conditions of release after he allegedly tried to text-message a traveling companion of the young woman in Hawaii. He also reportedly contacted a friend of the girl and asked the friend to have the girl call him.

Roberts was arrested last month after the young female reported to police that harassing phone calls were being made to her from Roberts' apartment. Five underage males were found drinking at the apartment, and Roberts was charged with furnishing a place for minors to consume, furnishing alcohol to minors and violating a protective order.

(TT - A story in the Bangor Daily News archives dated June 12 reported that the boys said they had made the calls and Roberts had put them up to it. The girl had previously obtained a court-ordered protection from abuse order against Roberts.)

Source: VillageSoup/Waldo County Citizen

TT - It would be nice to know why he's no longer a teacher.

ARRESTED (Again) September 6, 2008 - Roberts was arrested for stalking after he reportedly attempted to communicate with a young woman who had obtained a protective order to keep him away.

Roberts spent time in jail last year for incidents involving the young woman, who now lives out of state. Chief Jeff Trafton said Roberts was released from jail with a condition that he not contact her.

But once the protective order and his probation expired, Trafton said, Roberts tried again to contact the female, who is now 18. The woman notified police, and Roberts was arrested without incident.

Foolish Editorial

RANT OF THE DAY

July 18, 2007 - The St. Petersburg Times editorializes against the 5 1/2 year sentence for Daniel Zdrodowski, the 28-year-old music teacher who had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student. TT - LINK for Zdrodowski

At sentencing, [Prosectuor] McCabe also objected to any punishment less than the 5 1/2-year prison term prescribed under state guidelines. [Judge] Ley, in turn, followed the guideline - even though it was blind to the unusual circumstances in play. In this case, the girl and her mother fought prosecution. The boyfriend is 11 years older. He and the girl claim to be in love, to have considered marriage and to have ended their relationship until she was to turn 18. Can a state that should be focused on violent crime really afford to find a space in its prisons for Zdrodowski?

The prosecutor is right that Zdrodowski violated a public trust when he developed a romantic relationship with a student. That's one reason the Pinellas school system moved so quickly to investigate the original allegation, which came from another student, and why he lost his privilege to teach.

The real issue here is whether laws designed to protect children from sexual predators are the tools by which to judge more complicated affairs that involve the consent of both parties and both families involved. At the point a prosecutor seeks to throw a young woman in jail for refusing to behave like a victim, maybe someone needs to step back and look at the larger picture. Who is the victim here?

TT - The better question ought to be, Who is the adult here?

It wouldn't be half bad, except the Times Publishing Company that owns (funds, really) the St. Petersburg Times also owns Poynter Institute that trains a good many journalists. And you wonder why so many of our Peter Pan Press act the way they do? The editorial could have been written by a Harlequin Romance writer, but Harlequin is owned by Torstar - the Toronto Star.

Jeffersonville, INDIANA

July 17, 2007 - Only two people have challenged Jeffersonville’s sex offender law that prohbits convicted sex offenders from entering public parks. The law provides exemptions to the law under limited circumstances.

The only two who have requested exemption in two different actions are both school teachers.

Go figure.

Rose Bud, ARKANSAS

Article dated July 17, 2007 - Kenneth Barrow, 39, a math teacher in the Rose Bud School District, was arrested July 6 and charged with sexual solicitation of a child and second-degree sexual assault. He is alleged to have had sex with a teenage student.

No other details were available.

Golconda, ILLINOIS

Article dated July 17, 2007 - Jordan Livingston, 24, a math teacher and basketball coach at Pope County Elementary, was arrested on July 13, accused of sexual involvement with a 14-year-old female student.

The first two charges, criminal sexual assault, contend Livingston, while in a position of authority over the 14-year-old female victim, committed two acts of sexual penetration.He was a teacher and the victim was a student and that is the reasoning behind the charges, Nelson said.

Charges three and four, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, contend Livingston committed two sexual acts with the young victim. The charges point to the same incident, Nelson said.

Full Name: Jordan Andrew Livingston

Forest, VIRGINIA

July 17, 2007 - Stanley Deloach, Jr., 48, a Forest Middle School teacher, was arrested July 11, accused of sending sexually explicit messages, pictures and live video to an online undercover officer he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He resigned before his arrest.

The arrest was on charges of the publication, sale and possession with intent to distribute or finance child pornography and use of a communication system to facilitate certain offenses involving children.

Bedford County's Blue Ridge Thunder is helping with this ongoing investigation. They are asking that you call them about any similar incidents involving Mr. Deloach. Their number is 434-534-9521.

See WSET ch 13 coverage of community reaction.

UPDATE July 17 - The News & Advance reports that DeLoach's June 7 resignation was not connected to the allegations.

The school system was not aware of the allegations at the time of Deloach’s resignation, Blevins said.

“We were dealing with him on something else,” he said.

The school system told Deloach that he was not to have any further contact with students after his resignation, Blevins said.

However, WSLS Newschannel 10 said Deloach took a small group of Forest Middle students to tour the Roanoke television station on June 18.

“He did that after he told us he wouldn’t,” Blevins said. “But see, school is out and if he did that as a private citizen, there’s nothing we can do about that.”

Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown requests anyone with relevant information to contact the sheriff’s office at (434) 534-9521.

See the comments at the story. He has a wife and three children. The graphic details in the story disturbed one poster, but the sordidness is the reality. That's what Child Pornography is - a crime scene.

San Juan Capistrano, CALIFORNIA

Story dated July 14, 2007 - Two Orange County administrators at the Capistrano Unified School District pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the alleged creation of an enemies list to thwart a recall effort.

Both were indicted by a grand jury in May. Former Supt. James A. Fleming was charged with misappropriating public funds, using public funds to influence an election and conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public. Assistant Supt. Susan McGill was charged with lying to a grand jury and conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public.

Orange County prosecutors are also planning a civil action against Capistrano Unified School District officials for allegedly conducting business in secret. The trustees and administrators of the school district have been mired in a string of controversies for more than three years.

See "Grand jury transcripts shed new light into CUSD probe" The administrators reportedly used student databases to identify recall petitioners and the schools their children attended.

Exporting Pedophilia

It's their fault - the street urchins in Indonesia.

AN Indonesian court has cut three years off a jail term handed to an Australian teacher who sexually abused street kids, ruling the crimes were "not entirely" his fault.

Peter William Smith, 48, was originally sentenced to 10 years in jail after he was found guilty of paying teenage boys as little as $5 each for sexual acts, which he also filmed.

Smith, who committed the crimes at his home between 2003 and 2006, was a teacher at the Australian Government-funded Indonesia Australia Language Foundation in Jakarta at the time.

Indonesia's High Court, which heard his appeal, ruled his original 10-year term was excessive despite judges in his original trial noting he had committed similar offences in Australia, India and Pakistan.

The High Court judges said the abuse was not entirely Smith's fault, and some of the blame rested with the street urchins who lingered at his South Jakarta home.

"The High Court considered the District Court verdict has been precise and correct and was based on well and correct considerations except on the term of jail … it is too harsh," the judges said in a written ruling. "The sentence given to Smith needs to be reduced because the crime was not entirely caused by [the] defendant's mistake, but also because the presence of the victims in his house wanting to get money from him."

Smith spent four years in a Northern Territory jail in the 1990s, under the name of Ellis David Eyre, for sexually abusing Aboriginal children.

Mishawaka, INDIANA

TRIAL: July 17, 2007 - Teresa Getz, a teacher's aide at Grissom Middle School, is scheduled to go to trial today on charges of having a relationship with a 14-year-old boy from her special education class.

Her next court appearance is scheduled for December 19th and a trial is expected to take place after the new year.

Show Low, ARIZONA

July 17, 2007 - Tommi Jane Mariscal, 30, a Show Low Intermediate School teacher, was arrested for alleged sexual conduct with a 16-year-old boy.

The victim reportedly told police he began contacting Mariscal in late December or early January at a basketball game via text messaging. Afterwards, the victim began coming to Mariscal's house with a few friends who would baby-sit her four kids.

The victim told police that after the initial contact with Mariscal, he had sex with her every weekend in succession for three weeks, with Mariscal initiating the incidents.

Police began investigating in March.

Ypsilanti, MICHIGAN

July 16, 2007 - Eastern Michigan University fired university president John Fallon along with the Vice President of Student Affairs, Jim Vick, and the school's public safety director, Cindy Hall . The board is also placing a letter of discipline in the file of Kenneth McKanders, the university's attorney.

All three were accused of covering up the murder of Laura Dickerson, who was found dead in her room December 15. University officials told her parents and the media she had asphyxiated and that there was no sign of foul play. When a student was arrested and charged with her murder, it was the first time that her parents and students learned she was raped and murdered.

[Laura's father] says the university wasn't straightforward from the get-go, "We were told the night they found Laura that there was no foul play. Even when the medical examiner's report said foul-play suspected."

An investigation by the Department of Education and a private lawyer followed. Both determined that the university had violated the federal Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to disclose campus security details.

Many in the university's administration were accused of covering up the truth and endangering students to protect the school's image, which has been marred in recent years by tensions with faculty, students and the community.

Also see WoodTV 8 coverage.

Dolthan, ALABAMA

July 16, 2007 - Keaton Lamar Battle, 34, was arrested and charged with two counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes.

Battle was a teacher at PASS Academy when the offenses occurred. Police say he just completed his first year of teaching at the academy and that the two warrants revolved around incidents involving male students. He was arrested in Georgia.

From the Dolthan Eagle:

The crime of Enticing a Child for Immoral Purposes is defined in Alabama law as “to entice, allure, persuade, or invite, or attempt to entice, allure, persuade, or invite, any child under 16 years of age to enter any vehicle, room, house, office, or other place” for sexual purposes. It is a Class C Felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

Battle is out on bail.

Update July 20 - Battle worked six months before a background check revealed arrests in Georgia for simple battery and depositing worthless checks. The school board let him go in May before they were notified by the state Department of Education that, despite the arrests, Battle met the suitability criteria for employment.

Update July 22 - Turns out that Battle previously worked in Seminole County, Georgia, before coming to PASS, and the former school district gave him an excellent rating. Except they failed to mention that Battle had been charged in Seminole County for roughing up a student. PASS learned about the history in March and let Battle teach until May when they did not renew him.

Update July 25 - At the time of his arrest, Battle was working as a playground director for the Andrew Belle Community Center . S

ee TT - LINK for Dolthan Alabama

Lincolnton, NORTH CAROLINA

First Reported Oct 24, 2006 -
John Tyler Beatty, 28 , East Lincoln High School history teacher, was arrested and charged with faces four felony counts of sexual activity between school personnel and a student and three felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a student by school personnel.

GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCING
July 16, 2007 - Beatty pleaded guilty to guilty to all seven charges and received judgment for two of the most serious charges of sex offense. He was sentenced to 10 to 12 months, followed by 36 months of supervised probation. With credit for time served until the sentencing, he will have 6 months left to serve.

His parents and wife spoke on his behalf at the sentencing. The student was between 16 and 17.

A sexual relationship with another student slightly older than this victim indicated a full-blown affair was discovered. Furthermore, students interviewed indicated Beatty made sexual statements and asked questions about students’ sex lives.

The girl's mother also testified at the sentencing hearing.

“He brainwashed her, just as I am sure he brainwashed other victims,” she said.

Not only has the victim lost the best years of her life, she has lost her friends and the trust of those in the community, her mother said.

“Other girls were victims of Mr. Beatty,” she said. “They couldn’t find the courage to come forward because of his threats. Even though this appears as Mr. Beatty’s first offense, it is not. It’s the only one to appear before the community.”

Beatty and his wife have a 15-month-old baby.

LICENSE ACTION: February 2008 License Revoked. Reason: Felony convictions for sexual offenses. N.C. Board of Education.

Thompkinsville, KENTUCKY

July 14, 2007 - Angela Comer, now 28, is scheduled to be sentenced this week, but she wanted to tell her side of the story so a newspaper interviewed her.

Comer, to be brief, fled to Mexico with her 3-year-old son and a 14-year-old boy with whom she was having a sex. She has been in jail since her arrest in 2006. In the interview, she now claims the 14-year-old held her at gunpoint. She entered a guilty plea on May 9 to one count of third degree sodomy and to custodial interference.

TT - LINK to Comer

Farmington, UTAH

When she's old enough to be your mother.

July 16, 2007 -
Kathryn Louise Parmley, 49, a Davis School District speech and language pathologist, was sentenced to one year in jail - with work release privileges - and three years' probation after pleading guilty to sexual battery on a 17-year-old male student. The battery charge was a misdemeanor that precluded sex offender registration.

The judge, however, was concerned that she did not take responsibility for her actions. He made part of the sentence a condition

forbidding her from being around anyone under age 18 including her 4-year-old grandson

, whom she had been tending three times a week.

The judge accepted a recommendation from Adult Probation and Parole that Parmley get treatment along with a polygraph test so that she acknowledges what exactly occurred and her role in it. Otherwise, Memmott said, the information he has indicates Parmley is at an "elevated risk" of doing something like this again.At the time of her arrest, Parmley, is married to Rich Parmley, a Weber County prosecutor.

At the time of her arrest, her lawyer had this defense, "She's not doing well with it at all. She loves her job, she has a master's degree and she's very capable. It's been very, very difficult. It's a difficult situation all around."
-------------------
License revoked for five years.

Denver, COLORADO

Retrial results in guilty verdict and 210 YEAR sentence for pervert.

July 16, 2007 - Donald Shissler, 74, a teacher's assistant at North and West High Schools and former foster parent, was sentenced to 210 years in prison after a retrial on charges of repeatedly sexually assaulting three young boys between 1997 and 2002.

Shissler was convicted in 2002 and was sentenced to 24 years. He was granted a new trial. At one time Shissler was an Episcopal priest.

Bolivia, NORTH CAROLINA

July 16, 2007 - Fround in a story about Frankie Lee Garner who was was sentenced to between 200 and 258 months in prison after pleading guilty two counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and being a habitual felon, there was this about his wife -

Susan J. Gore, 41, a former teacher’s assistant at Bolivia Elementary School, was charged in April 2005 with second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and solicitation to commit a felony. Her case is still pending.

Authorities said Gore, 41, copied material containing sexually explicit images involving a 5-year-old child. The charges were filed after a computer technician hired to work on a personal computer at Gore’s home reported to authorities that it contained child pornography. Gore remains free on $20,000 bond.

Gore's trial date has been scheduled for August.

Granbury, TEXAS

The third north Texas teacher arrested this week.

Story dated July 13, 2007 -
Craig Andrew Simon, 54, a Granbury Middle School teacher, was arrested for child pornography.

He was arrested after he after he posted bail on solicitation of a minor online charges for soliciting sex from what he thought was a minor. In connection with that arrest, they searched his home and found the child pornography.

The other two teachers arrested were: Rowlett High School teacher Robert Rigby on internet sex charges, and Strickland Middle School teacher Lauren Michelle Cosgrove for sexual assault of a child.
TT - LINK for Rigby
TT - LINK for Cosgrove

Seminole, FLORIDA

May 17, 2007 - The student sexually involved with
Daniel Zdrodowski, 29, an assistant music instructor at Seminole High School, refused to testify against him.

Facing 15 years in prison as his trial was about to start, Zdrodowski pleaded no contest to a felony charge of engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Zdrodowski faces a negotiated maximum sentence of no more than 5 1/2 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for June 14.

TT - They have to have bands in prisons. So many band teachers are sentenced. If he does the whole 5.5 years, the band could be competitive.

SENTENCED: July 14 - Zdrodowski was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison despite the "Five dozen teachers, parents and students" who asked for leniency.

"I believe those two people fell in love," testified Joyce Ostrom, a 61-year-old elementary school teacher who has known Zdrodowski since he was young. "This is a case where every law doesn't fit every crime."

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court Judge Nancy Moate Ley was not swayed. She sentenced Zdrodowski to 5 1/2 years in prison. He could have received 15.

"There's is no rule that says you are excused from having sex with a student as long as you are a nice person," said Ley, noting that she often gives talks at schools. "Mr. Zdrodowski, you have betrayed the trust that was placed on you as a teacher."

The St. Petersburg Times headline the student's refusal to testify: "Student refuses to testify against teacher-boyfriend"

The St. Petersburg-Times also editorialized against the sentence, effectively asking for an exemption for Zdrodowski.

Baltimore, MARYLAND

SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS for sex with a 13-year-old girl.





ARRESTED: Dec 5, 2006 -
Timothy Nicholas Gounaris, 50, was arrested and charged with sexual child abuse charges related to several incidents last December with a former student at Pine Grove Middle School.

The allegations of improper relations with a 13-year-old student arose in January 2006, almost a year ago. Gounaris left the Baltimore county school in July and was hired by the Baltimore City school district in August.

A school spokesman said it was standard practice to get a reference from a teacher’s previous employer, however, the article does not say whether the previous school actually gave such a reference or whether one was actually asked for.

Another story states that "County school officials would not say what led to his resignation, because of confidentiality rules."

UPDATE: A Baltimore Examiner questions the policy as affirmed by Baltimore County Public School’s communication’s staff that they do not share teacher's records with other districts for fear of lawsuits from teachers.

UPDATE Apr 4, 2007 - Gounaris entered an Alford plea [no contest] yesterday to a charge of third-degree sex offense. I n an Alford plea, a defendant doesn't admit guilt but acknowledges the state has enough evidence for a conviction. Prosecutors dropped five other charges, including second-degree rape and perverted practice.

Gounaris will have to register as a sex offender and pay restitution for the girl's medical expenses. A school spokesman said he would be fired. [He resigned in June which makes the firing odd, but it's possible it's a mechanism to notify state credentialing officials. If so, is it mandatory?]

County school officials asked the Maryland State Department of Education to revoke Gounaris’ teaching certificate, and it did — but not before he was hired to teach eighth grade at Chinquapin Middle School in Baltimore.

William Reinhard, a spokesman for the state education department, said the department is trying to come up with a procedure that will ensure that officials are aware of any suspicions uncovered by another school system before they hire a teacher.“We think we have a workable solution,” Reinhard said.

Gounaris will be sentenced in about two months.

SENTENCED July 14, 2007 - Gounaris was sentenced to 18 months in jail - not prison. He'll be eligible for work release in 9 months. The 10 year sentence was suspended. Gounaris will have to register as a sex offender. He must also pay $10,000 restitution for medical expenses the girl has accumulated.

Waterford, MAINE

For pictures of girls as young as 5 years old performing sex acts - a 60-day sentence.






Apr 6, 2007 - Richard Beebe, 68, a volunteer at Waterford Elementary School, was indicted for possession of sexually explicit materials involving minors. He was arrested and released on bond.

State police were contacted Feb. 13 by FBI agents in Portland after an investigator posing online as a single mother of two children under the age of 5 had allegedly conversed with Beebe via Yahoo Messenger.

Police executed a search warrant on Feb. 20, and seized several materials from Beebe's home. These included CDs, floppy discs, a digital camera, and three laptops. Beebe subsequently admitted to having as many as 100 pictures on his computer of girls as young as 5 years old performing sex acts.

Investigators found no pornographic images of students from Waterford Elementary School. Beebe did send a nonpornographic image of a student to the FBI investigator during their conversations.
Full Name: Richard W. Beebe

Apr 20 - Beebe pleaded not guilty.

July 13 - Beebe pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing child pornography. He was sentenced to

serve 60 days of a one-year prison sentence, as well as a two-year probationary period. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.Beebe is forbidden to possess a computer or use the Internet, and will be subject to searches to ensure compliance on that condition. A computer owned by Beebe's wife was not seized by police, but it may be examined during these searches.

He sent a picture of a 9-year-old at the school to the undercover officer.

According to an affidavit by Detective John Hainey of the Maine State Police, he was informed in February that Beebe was under investigation by the Portland office of the FBI.

An investigator posing as a single mother of two young children had been trading instant messages with Beebe.During these online conversations, Beebe stated that he got "very excited" from working around children, and touched his granddaughter's buttocks when her mother was not looking. He denied having child pornography on his computer when asked during the conversations.

Beebe also sent a nonexplicit picture of a 9-year-old girl to the investigator, describing her as one of his favorite girls at the school where he volunteered. The girl was later identified as a student at the Waterford school.

Valley, ALABAMA

July 12, 2007 - Charles Bochette, 45, a Beulah High School job coach, was arrested and charged with first degree sexual abuse after a former student says he fell asleep at Bochette's home and awoke to find the older man laying on top of him.

It appears alcohol may have been involved.

Strongsville, OHIO

July 13, 2007 - Not everyone is thrilled with having a sex offender teacher living next door.

She got three days in jail for sex with the 17-year-old student. It'll be a lot longer than that before her neighbors are going to let her think it's over. TT - Link

St. Louis School Board

July 13, 2007 - If Oakland, California is one of the most dysfunctional school districts in the country, St. Louis is the most laughable.

St. Louis city's elected school board is refusing to cede control of the school system to an appointed board and Friday both sides were back in court.

At issue is who will control the money and write checks. The state decidedthat an appointed special administrative board would run the district. The case is expected to be heard again in September. In the meantime, the judge ruled in favor of the appointed board.

Past TT story on St. Louis school takeover.
Bad Hiring Decisions in St. Louis TT - Link (Williams was finally fired today.)

Marion, KENTUCKY

July 13, 2007 - Amy Hill-Tabor, a kindergarten teacher at Crittenden County Elementary School, was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Sad for the sad state of education, WPSD Channel 6 reported that "If Tabor is convicted she could lose her job." The fact that it isn't a guarantee says a lot.

Alamosa, CALIFORNIA

“I believe that I must send a message to every person who walks in that school as a teacher, as a coach, as a mentor, as whatever it may be, you do not lay a hand on a child," said the judge.

SENTENCED: July 13, 2007 -

Loral “Cassie” Hall, 32, a teacher and coach at Alamosa High School, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 2 years probation on a misdemeanor unlawful sexual contact charge involving a 17-year-old female. In addition, Hall will have to register as a sex offender.

Hall must also submit to genetic marker testing and participate in sex offender treatment.

The judge also prohibited Hall, who previously coached T-ball, from contact with people under age 18. “I specifically prohibit you from coaching,” Gonzales told Hall. “I specifically prohibit you from attending any youth sports activity even as a spectator. You will not be around kids.”

And,

Gonzales added there would be no exceptions to the no-child-contact prohibition including family members such as nieces, nephews and cousins. “You will be that conspicuous absent family member at family gatherings,” Gonzales told Hall. “You will miss the baptisms, you will miss the confirmations, the birthdays, Christmases, the reunions.

The judge also ordered 50 hours community service, substance abuse evaluation, fine, costs and sex offender fees and surcharges and said Hall would pay for counseling if the victim required it.

Raleigh, NORTH CAROLINA

ARRESTED: July 13, 2007 - Scott Hovey, 26, a teacher at Southeast Raleigh High School, was arrested and charged with Internet solicitation of a child for sexual activity.

He has been suspended with pay. $$$
Full Name: Scott Libert Hovey

Police are asking anyone with information contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 336-373-2255 or Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000.

ABC 11 - has a video report on the arrest and community reaction. The best reaction is the woman who says, "There's two there now. Where are we getting those so-called teachers?" She was referring to the former principal of the school, Larry Jewell, who was arrested last February. TT - Link for Jewell

Four Oaks, NORTH CAROLINA

First Reported Mar 1, 2007 -
Cornelius White, 25, a substitute teacher, was arrested for allegedly having sex with a South Johnston County High School student.

Authorities say from September 2006 to February 2007 White had consensual sex on numerous occasions with a 17-year-old female student.
Full Name: Cornelius Lamont White

July 13 - ABC11: White pleaded guilty to two counts of having sex with a student. A judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail, two years probation and he must register as a sex offender.

White was given credit for 44 days in jail before he could post bond, which means he will only have to serve an additional 16 days in custody.

Barron, WISCONSIN

Apr 4, 2007 - Nathan E. Cox, 38, a teacher and coach in the Prairie Farm School District, waived his right to a preliminary and pleaded not guilty. Cox was charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child for sexual assault of a student who was 13-years-old at the time of the alleged offense.

Cox gave a brief statement and then handed in his letter of resignation at the school board meeting on Monday night.

News story Mar 29 - The student accused Cox of being intimate with her while they were in his vehicle near her home in the summer of 2006, according to the criminal complaint. She said the contact included kissing and touching but "not sex."

Update Apr 12 - Cox was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. A pretrial conference is set for May 23 with a jury trial set for June 28.

Update Apr 18 - Cox submitted his resignation to the school board on Monday, April 2.

Update May 31 - Cox pleaded guilty to felony child enticement-sexual contact. Sentencing is scheduled for July 14.

SENTENCED July 13 - Cox was sentenced to one year in prison. The judge said that Cox violated his position of trust and that’s why he needed to go to prison. WEAU: A presentence report suggested three years followed by up to ten years of extensive supervision. Cox apologized to family members, teachers, the community of Prairie Farm, the victim and her family at the sentencing, saying he was completely wrong and foolish for what he did.

TT -The Pierce County Herald headlined the sentencing story as, "Barron teacher sentenced for affair with student" A 38-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl was an "affair"? Who writes their headlines, Harlequin Romance or Pedophiles R Us?

July 18 - Article on the sentencing.

Cox’s father, Edwin Cox of Barron, also a schoolteacher, and Nathan’s wife, Jennifer, asked [Judge Edward] Brunner not to send Nathan to prison. The couple have a 7-year old son and two younger daughters.

The judge had some words on why Nathan should be jailed.

[Judge[ Brunner told Cox that he was lucky to have the support of his family who were asking him to be lenient with Cox.

“But you have to keep in mind that you got yourself here,” Brunner said. Although people make mistakes, Brunner said his definition of a good father and a good husband was not somebody who was soliciting sex from 13-14 year old girls.

Brunner said [Defense Attorney Carol] Conklin had asked him not to call into play that Cox was a teacher. But, he said, if anyone in Cox’s family had been molested by a teacher, they would feel violated because they had trusted that child to a teacher. “It is a fact that this young lady will live with this scar for the rest of her life,” Brunner said. “So I can’t ignore the position that you had. It’s part of the offense. It’s part of who you are.”

Oakland, CALIFORNIA

Only a school district as dysfunctional as Oakland would have allowed someone like this to open a charter school.

July 13, 2007 - Isaac Haqq, the founder and principal of an East Oakland charter high school at the center of a cheating scandal, has resigned. This, after the state Department of Education invalidated the school's test scores for a second straight year due to "adult testing irregularities," or, in other words, cheating. And not by students.

Haqq was once a Pasadena city councilman once known as Isaac Richard. He founded Uprep in 2001. The San Francisco Chronicle understated it when they said he was known for "breaking the rules." (Subhead: Arrests, fights and bare-knuckles politics among hallmarks of Isaac Haqq's history.)

As a Pasadena city councilman in the early 1990s, Isaac Haqq broke someone's nose, swiped campaign signs, threatened the housing chief, berated a women's shelter worker and did three years probation for, among other things, [an arrest for driving without a license] throwing his sunglasses at a bus.

Before his election, Haqq's sister got a temporary restraining order against him, alleging violence. After leaving office, he was arrested on suspicion of hitting a woman with a telephone.

He was censured twice by the Pasadena City Council for "antisocial behavior." There were a half dozen other incidents.

See June 19 - Charter School Crackdown Continues
See June 21 - The Strange Past of Isaac Haaq
See July 2 - Ex-councilman faces accusations
Also see, July 8 - School mired in claims of cheating

TT - After he left Pasadena, he was an affirmative action consultant and a community college instructor teaching business and math.

In 1996, the Oakland School Board became a national laughingstock for their resolution calling for Ebonics. The school board regained some authority this month four years after the state took over the district for financial mismanagement. The state loaned the district $100 MILLION in 2003.

Summary - July 12, 2007

Summary July 12, 2007
Follow links for updated information.

ARRESTED for sex with a 13-year-old boy
Lauren Cosgrove, 28, a Texas teacher was arrested on two counts of aggravated sexual assault to a child. The boy was a former student and she was babysitting the boy and his brothers. The boys reported that the teacher and boy spent a lot of time in a locked bedroom, it turns out - for oral sex on each other. She is married and has two children. The boy told police she was afraid of losing her children if anyone found out about their relationship. Nice burden to put on a child, isn't it? FEMALE
TT - Link

PLEA - no contest to sex with student
San Bruno, California band teacher Adam Albrecht, 29, pleaded no contest to to one felony count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, one felony count of oral copulation with a minor, and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, for providing the 17-year-old girl with alcohol and marijuana. He'll be sentenced in August.
TT - Link

SENTENCED (Again) - Sex with boys
A sixth-grade teacher in Florida was sentenced to 70 years after pleading no contest to 16 counts of sexual offenses against three children during 2003. He pleaded guilty in 2006 to 13 counts of sexual battery and child molestation on a 12-year-old male student and was sentenced to 70 years and lifelong probation. Both sentences to run concurrently for Daniel Cliatt, 29.
TT - Link

SENTENCED - Sex with student
It's bad enough that the victim had to testify, she also had to listen while two teachers testified for the teacher who pleaded no contest to single count of statutory sexual assault for sex with the 15-year-old girl. David Costanza, 28, was sentenced to six whole months and five years' probation. His father was the school board president who resigned when his son was arrested.
TT - Link (Pennsylvania)

FAVORITE STORY OF THE DAY
Is the Oregon elementary school principal who was caught with marijuana who has the "full support" of the district superintendent and, the superintendent claims, the school board. Only problem is that the school district is famous for a 1989 crackdown on "drugs" that includes mandatory testing for athletes. They took that battle to the U.S. Supreme Court. That was then. Now it's "Pot for me, but not for thee." Bless the little children. They got their lesson early on the reality of politics and education in Oregon.
TT - Link

BEST E-MAIL QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I personally believe that this website is ridiculous. Teachers are people too, and everyone makes mistakes. It's not fair to have these stories on here. It on causes unfair judgements to be made." Well, frankly, sir, parents are people too. And they have a right to expect that when they send their children to school, it isn't to learn how to smoke dope and have sex in classroom closets with teachers who are most frequently nearly twice their age. (or more)

CONNECTICUT TO ALLOW CONVICTED DRUG DEALER TO TEACH
The Connecticut Board of Education has decided to reinstate a teacher who was convicted of selling drugs to an undercover police officer. He will be allowed to teach at a school with minority populations (if you can call 54% black and 42% Hispanic "minority populations.") Low-income students or parents don't deserve teachers who are role models, apparently. Or maybe the nearly all-white school board thinks all blacks and hispanics are drug dealers.
TT - Link

CONNECTICUT

RANT OF THE DAY

July 12, 2007 - A convicted drug dealer in Connecticut will be allowed to teach.

... a math teacher at Fair Haven Middle School when he was arrested for selling cocaine to an undercover police officer in 2003. Hernandez's teaching certificate was automatically revoked when he was convicted Feb. 11, 2004. He was given a conditional discharge and a suspended sentence of three years in prison.

The state Board of Education reinstated him. With conditions:

Gesmonde proposed the conditions for his certificate, which would limit Hernandez to teach at Bridge Academy until Oct. 31, 2010, and require random drug testing.

He must also see a state licensed psychologist or psychiatrist at least twice a month until Oct. 31, 2010. Under terms of the agreement, Hernandez also would forgo confidentiality accorded to the patient-therapist relationship and authorize his therapist to give monthly updates on his progress to the state Board of Education. He must submit to random drug testing a minimum of four times a year and pay for the testing himself.

The only board member to vote against reinstatement summed it up nicely.

"I think there are certain events for which there are no second chances. We don't know if Mr. Hernandez can be trusted."

TT - Makes you wonder if the Connecticut Board of Education should be trusted. By voters.

The school rates a 3 at Greatschools.com and has 54% Blacks and 42% Hispanic students which tells you that the nearly-all white state Board of Education what they think minorities deserve.

Cocoa, FLORIDA

PLEADED GUILTY Nov 22, 2006 - Daniel Cliatt, 31, sixth grade teacher at Cocoa's Endeavour Elementary School, pleaded guilty on 13 counts of sexual battery and child molestation on a 12-year-old male student.

Cliatt was "one of 16 teachers picked to stay on at Endeavour Elementary school in Cocoa, to help the school improve its failing grade." Police say Cliatt engaged in a sexual relationship with the boy for several months in 2005. The incidents happened during after-school tutoring sessions.

Jan 15, 2007 - Florida Today interviewed friends and family and former students. Ciatt is accused of molesting a number of boys, not just the 13-year-old he was caught with. A co-worker found Ciatt and one boy together. Friends, family, and former neighbors were "they were even more stunned when he pleaded guilty in November after rejecting the state’s offer that could have set him free after 34 years in prison."

BULLETPROOF VEST Police dressed Cliatt in a bulletproof vest for his first court appearance in April 2005. A second trial involving three other students is scheduled for after his sentencing on Jan 16.

Jan 16, 2007 - Ciatt was sentenced to 70 years and lifetime probation.

WFTV reports, "Surrounding him were a number of sheriff's deputies making sure no one took justice into their own hands." Scum candidate for the year was Cliatt's attorney at one point claiming the teen was a "willing participant."

Cliatt could still face other charges of child molestation. At least five other students have come forward and the Brevard County School District faces at least two lawsuits from those students' parents.

Update June 7 - Possible second trial to be determined today.

SENTENCED July 12 - Ciatt pleaded no contest to 16 counts of sexual offenses against three children during 2003 and was sentenced to another 70 years, to run concurrently, and lifelong probation.

Denton, TEXAS

It's becoming obvious that teachers need pyschological testing before hiring and being given access to children.

July 11, 2007 - Lauren Cosgrove, 28, a 7th Grade Language Arts at Strickland Middle School, was arrested on two counts of aggravated sexual assault to a child.

Police allege Cosgrove had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy while babysitting him during the summer. He was a former student.
The Dallas Morning News reports that she is married with two children. Cosgrove was supposed to surrender to police, but they arrested her when she tried to contact the victim.

According to the court records, the boy’s siblings told their parents they had seen him and his teacher go into his bedroom and shut the door numerous times. The boy admitted to the detective that he had sexual relations with her, the documents stated.

“He told his parents he and Lauren have plans to be together when he reaches the age of 18,” according to the document. “[The victim] said he was worried what the consequences for Lauren would be. He said he knew she was wrong for what she had done but said he was also at fault. He said Lauren had told him she was afraid she would lose her children if anyone found out about their relationship.”

Full Name: Lauren Michelle Cosgrove

TT - What a burden to put on a child.

Oct 24 - Cosgrove was briefly back in jail after trying to contact the 13-year-old boy she admitted having a sexual relationship with last summer.

Detective Shane Kizer said Cosgrove was admonished not to contact the boy. But two days later, one of the boy's friends called him and began trying to talk to him about the case. The victim handed the telephone to his mother, Kizer said, and she learned from the friend that Cosgrove had asked him to set up a three-way call so she could talk to the boy without her number appearing on caller ID.

"She wanted to tell him what to say to make things better for her in court," Kizer said.
Because the victim and his family were suffering from intense publicity in the case, they agreed it would be better not to file more charges just then, he said.

They released her on bail - again.

Cosgrove's case is expected to go to the Denton County Grand Jury within the month. Cosgrove is married with two children, ages 2 and 11.

UPDATE -
Indicted on November 1, 2007
Arraignment on November 26, 2007
Jury Trial scheduled for September 29, 2008 Judge: RIVERA-WORLEY, CARMEN

Veronia, OREGON

Pot for me, but not for thee.

July 11, 2007 - A school principal who was cited for possession of marijuana has the "full support" of Verona School District Superintendent Kenneth Cox and, according to him, the majority of the school board.

"It was an unfortunate mistake and a poor choice to make," Cox said. "But I've had a meeting with Mr. Miller, and he's planning on making things better, making things right."

The school district is famous for their hardline stand against drugs. They mandated drug testing of athletes in 1989, a policy they successfully defended to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Of course, those were students. When it comes to one of their own, the elementary school principal will get a pass. Good going, guys.

Ambridge, PENNSYLVANIA

ARRESTED April 4, 2007 - David Costanza, 28, an Ambridge Area High School social studies teacher, was arrested and charged with statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and corruption of minors.

He is accused of having sexual contact with one of his students, a 15-year-old girl. He has been suspended with pay.

Costanza is the son of school board president Charles Costanza.
Full Name: David M. Costanza

Post-Gazette: Costanza was arrested after the brother of the girl found a number of sexually provocative text messages between Mr. Costanza and the girl.

Apr 5 - Costanza was arraigned Wednesday and was placed in the Beaver County Jail on $50,000 cash bond. He had posted bail and was released by Thursday afternoon.
Ambridge Area School Board President Charles Costanza submitted his resignation hours after his son's arrest.

NO CONTEST PLEA May 28 - Costanza pleaded no contest to a single count of statutory sexual assault for having sex with one of his students. There was no agreement on the sentence as part of the plea. He is expected to be sentenced July 11th.

From Beaver County Times: "Beaver County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Popovich said that once Costanza enters his plea, he will automatically lose his teaching certification in Pennsylvania. Popovich said anyone with a misdemeanor or felony charge conviction loses certification permanently."

SENTENCED July 12 - Costanza was sentenced to 6 months to two years in county jail - not prison - with the possibility of parole after six months and 5 years' probation after the jail sentence. He must also undergo treatment program for sexual offenders. Must pay restitution to the victim's family for her therapy.

TT - Shamefully, two teachers testified on his behalf, one of them slated to be the victim's teacher in the Fall.

LAWSUIT - Dec 3 - The mother of the victim has filed a federal lawsuit, claiming administrators there knew the man's propensities. The woman's lawsuit also alleges that the school district failed to take action against Mr. Costanza because his father, Charles Costanza, was the school board president. He resigned the day his son was charged.

Klaas' Kids Foundation Pennsylvania page.

LICENSE April 3, 2008 - The state revoked the Constanza's teaching certificate.

Rowlett, TEXAS

July 11, 2007 - Robert Rigby, 52, a Rowlett High School history teacher, was arrested after sending explicit messages and photos to someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl.

It turned out to be a police officer. Rigby charged with online solicitation.

Montgomery City, MISSOURI

Found guilty of child molestation but innocent of statutory rape and sodomy.

TRIAL: May 22, 2007 - Jason Devlin, 30, a Montgomery County R-2 High School teacher , is on trial, accused of having sex with sex with a 14-year-old girl. He's charged with statutory rape, statutory sodomy and child molestation. He was arrested in 2004. He resigned.

The trial began today.

Not in the story above, Devlin and his wife faced separate trials. She was accused of witness tampering for urging the alleged victim in January to recant the statement she gave to police. No online information on disposition of that case.

GUILTY: May 24 - The jury found Devlin guilty of of child molestation and not guilty of statutory rape and statutory sodomy.

May 25 - A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July. The jury recommended a sentence of one year in the county jail and a fine. Devlin's wife, Shannon, is charged with witness tampering for allegedly trying to make the victim recant her statements. Her trial is set to begin June 8.

SENTENCED: July 11, 2007 - Devlin was was sentenced to one year in the county jail for child molestation.

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST WIFE: Oct 1 - Charges have been dismissed against Shannon Devilin, 32. The charges were dropped last week against She was originally accused of tampering with a witness in her husband's case.

Trustworthiness PART I

April 9, 2007 - The Long Beach (Ca) Press-Telegram is calling for the resignation of School Board Trustee Michael Shane Ellis.

Ellis was arrested Feb. 18 on suspicion of drunken driving in Seal Beach. Orange County Superior Court records state that his blood alcohol level was .15, nearly twice the legal limit of .08. Ellis was placed on probation for an accident he didn't report. They make their case for his resignation.

But is he a good role model? Long Beach Unified has programs warning students of the dangers of drunken driving. The school board is responsible for those problems.

TT - It's a good point, only it would have been better had they made it, say, years ago? When Ellis was representing the union?

On Feb. 9 of this year, Ellis was convicted of a misdemeanor for being an unlicensed driver, a charge that was filed July 28, 2006, according to court records.

And on Nov. 2, 1995, he was convicted of a misdemeanor for driving with a suspended license, a charge filed June 12 of that year, according to court records. His driver's license had been suspended because he had forgotten to take care of a ticket he had received previously for not wearing a seat belt.

TT - So why bring up his previous convictions now? The Press-Telegram didn't. The convictions were brought up by a member of the public at a school board meeting during the public comment period.

Sanctimoniously, the newspaper notes that "Though we disagreed with Ellis and his allies in the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) in the past over political issues, that has nothing to do with our recommendation today."

Wisely, they refrained from linking to Ellis' statement they published and left unchallenged when he ran for the trustee position. You know, the one where he says, "Support teaching that character is important and promote trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship." Nor did they refer to the union that has pumped tens of thousands of dollars into campaigning in Long Beack. Nor did they focus too much on the two new union-backed board members - one openly gay and Ellis who was a union representative who cared so much about teaching that he let his credential lapse and was terminated by the district.

They didn't disagree with Ellis or the union enough to bring up the convictions before the 2006 election. They didn't care enough to even investigate the candidate and ask the right questions before the election. That's a lot of uncaring about character. Until the public starts to notice.

UPDATE July 11 - Ellis is still a school board member, but now he has had his teaching credential suspended for a government claim for child support. He said it was a mix-up.

Ellis on June 30 resigned his employment as a middle school teacher in the Baldwin Park district, where he began teaching in September of last year, according to district records. Ellis, who has not yet obtained another teaching position, is seeking to work in a district closer to Long Beach, he said.

As a teacher on special assignment at Baldwin Park, he spent most of his time outside the classroom performing administrative duties, such as serving as a coordinator for state testing, he said.

TT - OH, did we mention, he was a union guy?

CofC DROPS RECALL EFFORT April 30 - The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce has dropped their recall campaign when they were unable to gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Chamber President and CEO Randy Gordon said, "We believe Mr. Ellis is still the worst school board member in the history of the Long Beach Unified School District.”

With school board members Felton Williams and Jon Meyer having won reelection last month, however, Ellis is now harmless, he said.

“Mr. Williams and Mr. Meyer are there for the right reasons,” he said, adding that they are not political puppets serving special interests such as Ellis with the local teacher’s union.

“They have no future aspirations whatsoeverÉ. Those are the kind of school board members we like.”

Appalachia, VIRGINIA

ARRESTED: June 1, 2007 - Miranda Peters, 26, an art teacher at Appalachia High School and Appalachia Primary School, was arrested on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for urging another student to lie to police about the alleged relationship with another girl. The teacher is being investigated for an improper relationship with a female high school student.

Peters will be arraigned on Wednesday.
Full Name: Naomi Miranda Peters

This is the second criminal probe of a Wise County school division employees this year.

Earlier this week, Darlene A. Blagg, a teacher's aide pleaded guilty to three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under 18 while employed in a supervisory role over children. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a three-year suspended prison sentence, two years of supervised probation, and one year of unsupervised probation. Blagg will also be a registered sex offender, a lifelong status.
TT - Link for Blagg

GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCED: July 11 - Peters pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was given a 10-day suspended sentence and one-year of unsupervised probation.

Peters was not charged with having an improper relationship with the student, but she was arrested on the last day of school last month and charged with asking another student to lie to police, said Capt. Mike Holbrook, an investigator with the sheriff’s office.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Tampa, FLORIDA

ARRESTED: Feb 8, 2007 - Cheryl Foster-Lawrentz, a Chamberlain High School teacher, was arrested and charged with with grand theft and fraud. She was a senior class sponsor who is alleged to have stolen from the senior class fundraising account.
She has been placed on administration leave "until the situation is sorted out."

A Missouri teacher was indicted for the same thing.

SENTENCED: July 11 - Foster-Lawrentz pleaded guilty. She was sentenced to 18 months' probation. She will be required to repay $9701 in restitution perform 50 hours of community service and undergo a psychological evaluation.

East Hartford, CONNECTICUT

July 11, 2007 - Angela Schmidt, 55, a middle school special education teacher, was sentenced to two years' probation for falsely claiming rape for consensual sex with another teacher.

She was arrested June 21, 2006 and charged with second-degree falsely reporting an incident and second-degree giving a false statement. In addition, she must comply with psychiatric treatment, perform 100 hours of community service each year.

The charges will not remain on her permanent record if she completes the requirements of the program.

ARREST: June 22, 2006 from Journal Inquirer. LINK

Newton, MISSISSIPPI

Sentenced to 20 years on each count with all but three years and six months suspended.


Jan 3, 2007 - The Newton Record recalls the top stories of 2006, and an award winning coach.

ARRESTED Steven Harris, 30, Newton County High School teacher and assistant coach, was arrested and charged in October with two counts of statutory rape and three counts of sexual battery for alleged involvement with a teen-age girl.

Superintendent of Education Billy Pierce said Harris was asked to leave in May. Harris is currently being held in the Newton County jail and will likely go before a Newton County grand jury this month. the earliest possible court date will be in April of this year.

Oct 18, 2006 story. Arrest notes "Harris is being held in the Marion County jail on $150,000 bond on the two charges and is also on a retainer by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation since charges are pending against him in another county."

ADDITIONAL CHARGES Jan 25, 2007 - Additional charges of statutory rape and sexual battery were later brought against Harris in Newton County, where he had previously been employed. The charges against Harris in Marion County are awaiting grand jury review. [INDICTED May 1.]

INDICTED May 1 - A Marion County grand jury has indicted for allegedly having sex with a student.

Officials in Newton County said they also had concerns about Harris' contact with a female student, when he was an assistant baseball coach in Decatur.

GUILTY PLEA July 11, 2007 - Harris pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery. In addition to the Marion County charges, Harris also is facing two counts of statutory rape and three counts of sexual battery for incidents in Newton County.

SENTENCED: Harris was sentenced to two 20-year terms for two counts of sexual battery today. The judge suspended all but three years and six months of each of the sentences. Harris, 31, will spend at least seven years in prison.

He will be required to register as a sex offender and will not be allowed to teach again.. He still faces two counts of statutory rape and three counts of sexual battery for incidents in Newton County.

Denver, COLORADO

July 10, 2007 - Part II of an investigative report by CBS4 Denver on how the Colorado Department of Education does not report 2,000 to 3,000 teacher arrests EACH YEAR to the schools that employ them.

Their rationale is that the information is personal and confidential, despite the fact that arrest information is public.

Deputy Education Commissioner Karen Stroup was "taken back" that her agency has not been sharing arrest information with school districts. "It does surprise me," she said.

The Cost of Education

July 10, 2007 - Because of declining enrollment, an Arkansas school district won't be replacing four teachers. However, in spite of that, they want a $6 million tax increase to build a new middle school.

Well, not actually build. The state will build it. The district has to pay $2.9 million of the costs. Seems reasonable until you consider they also want to spend $1.9 million on athletic facilities.

In reference to the proposed athletic facilities, Bennett said the proposed 8,300-square-foot, $750,000 field house would contain a fitness room, training room, equipment room, concession stand, as well as two coaches' offices, locker rooms and restrooms.Also included in the athletic plans are a $400,000 regulation-size, eight-lane track, and a $200,000 stadium, with a $135,000 lighting system.

TT - The Median household income is $24,568 in Green Forest. Source: Greatschools.com Of course, what might be a factor is that the enrollment in the district is 73% white and 26% Hispanic in a state where 6% is average for Hispanics.

Bad Hiring Decisions

Bad hiring decisions cost taxpayers millions each year.

July 10 - Schools and universities don't call them Bad Hiring Decisions. They're buyouts - paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to teachers and faculty or administrators who are tenured. In Missouri State University, it was $700,000 to nine departing employees in the past five years.

“You try to make some sort of judgment on the merits of litigation. What is it worth to the university to resolve it?” said Missouri State President Mike Nietzel, who has agreed to five such buyouts in his two years at the university.

“It’s not (a) $10,000 (agreement) versus nothing, but it’s $10,000 versus two months of a court case.”

How do you explain a $275,000 was given to a coach because the university could see increases in both ticket sales and fan support with a new coach?

Most of the agreements are made with tenured faculty. Under state statute, such workers can only be fired for “incompetence, neglect or refusal to perform his duties, dishonesty, drunkenness or immoral conduct.”

TT - you would be hard-pressed to find teachers fired for any of those breaches. The reason is that teachers unions provide free legal aid to tenured teachers which helps to reinforce this perception of invulnerability. The best most districts can do is negotiate a resignation, leaving the incompetent teacher free to teach in another district.

In the case of Hendrix, they hired him KNOWING his conviction for a sex offense against a small boy. Try and figure that one out. TT - Link to Hendrix.

Rolling Fork, MISSISSIPPI

Grand jury decides on no criminal charges for the tragedy.

ARRESTED July 10, 2007 - A 30-year-old a teacher's aide, was arrested and charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence in the death of a 19-month-old child who was left on a transportation van for more than seven hours.

Last week, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health revoked the certification for the early intervention program at MCFS, which is designed to enhance the development of infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities or children who are at risk for developing disabilities. MDMH cited two standard failures on the part MDFS, including the failure to meet the staff-to-child ratio when transporting children and failure to provide adequate staff needed to ensure health, safety and welfare

NO CRIMINAL CHARGE: August 15 - After careful consideration, the grand jury decided the van escort should not face a criminal charge.

District Attorney Gil Martin, who presented the accusation of manslaughter by culpable negligence, said the citizen panel deliberated intensely.“Her case was presented and we debated for an hour and a half, which is a long time for a grand jury,” Martin said.

The center's MDH licensure remains suspended. The parents of the child have filed a lawsuit.

Santa Ana, CALIFORNIA

July 10, 2007 - Barry Landreth, 37, a one-time USC Marshall School of Business lecturer, was sentenced to 6 years for an investment scam. He pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, but the judge rejected the deal that would have called for 41 months.

Landreth's victims included former students.

Grand Junction, COLORADO

AGAIN????

July 10, 2007 - You might remember Tammie Lee Reed. She's the first grade teacher arrested five times since being caught with methamphetamine in October 2005.

She had the kind of judge and prosecutor a drug addict prays for - and got. Along with probation and community service.

Now they're squabbling over whether the judge who released her to travel to a fictitious wedding will oversee her newest hearing or whether the public defender will be allowed to represent her in an upcoming hearing. TT - Links to Reed

You wonder if after two years, the Colorado Department of Education has gotten around to notifying her school. Or if her five arrests are considered "personal and confidential information."

COLORADO

Eric Yoder, an investigator with the Colorado Department of Education, said his agency is notified of between 2,000 and 3,000 arrests of licensed educators every year for everything from DUI to murder.

But he said arrest information is not passed along to school districts because CDE considers such information to be "personal" and confidential, even though arrests are a matter of public information.

Yoder said CDE only notifies school districts after licensed educators have been convicted, which can take months or even years after the initial arrest.

July 10, 2007 - A CBS4 investigation discovered the non-reporting in following the story of Garry Weaver, hired in 2004, arrested in January 2005 for stabbling two men in a fight. He pleaded guilty in September 2005. Six weeks later, the Colorado Departm