Edinburg, TEXAS

It isn't a failure of the system. It's how the system works to protect themselves.

Mar 31, 2007 - Michael Barrett, writing in The Monitor, in "Too Little, Too Late," did what a good journalist should do. Follow up. And he did. On Genaro Vela, the middle school teacher who was sentenced to this month to 14 years for indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault. And the school district who didn't report him to police. In 2000.

Vela was arrested in June 2006, but the district had prior warning.

In 2000 a boy reluctantly reported that he had been abused. School officials said they contacted Child Protective Services and conducted an internal investigation into the 2000 allegations . Child Protective Services did not contact the boy or his mother. They never looked into the allegations and there is no evidence they were ever notified. The school supposedly conducted an internal investigation. They claim they notified the district central offices, but they appear not to have done anything. Not a single one of them notified the police.

TT - No one appears to have done anything about the abuse allegations. Vela continued to teach. And collect child pornography.

When police searched his house they found a hidden staircase with thousands of images of child pornography. See TT entry for Vela.

The student who was molested in 2000 is suing the school district. It's probably the only regret he will ever see from them -- regret they may have to take the stand to defend their actions. The statute of limitations means school officials responsible will not be prosecuted. It won't cost them a dime. Insurance will cover any awards resulting of the lawsuit. Taxpayers pay for that too. And not one of the people who let it happen will be punished, reprimanded, fired, or be named. The lawsuit will be settled out of court and the details will be confidential. Not even the public will know the wrong that occurred.

Especially not the public.

Apr 1 - The Monitor also found documents that show federal agents knew Vela was trolling child pornography sites in 2004. However, they did not know he worked with children. When they found out, they raided his home a month later.

Sept 18 - A third lawsuit has been fiiled against Vela and the local chapter of Boy Scouts of America, but also the Mission school district where Vela was a long time teacher. The Boy Scouts and Vela himself were the only defendants named in the previous suits, also filed anonymously.