April 4, 2007 - One quote stands out in the ABC News story, "It's the Media That's Hot for Teacher".
"What accounts for what we're seeing is a side effect of the clergy abuse scandal starting in 2001, when the whole idea that large institutions could be financially libel if they swept this kind of thing under the rug," Finkelhor said.Completely untrue. Education Week had a series called "A Trust Betrayed" that focussed on the problems of sexually abusive teachers. They coined the phrase, "passing the trash" to describe the practice of allowing "itinerant abusers" to move from one area to another when trouble arises. The series was written in 1998.
Since the 1980s, according to the report,
many school lawyers have been urging their clients ...to adopt policies of limited or no disclosure about past employees.Another misrepresentation is that "Men typically teach subjects such as "drama, music and photography," classes that require "one-on-one time, where a surrogate mentor relationship" can develop."
That might be true on a college campus, but the Houston Chronicle, the Seattle Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune all did investigations of teacher disipline records. They all noted the same thing - band teachers and coaches stand out, by far, as likely offenders. The most likely reason was supplied by Danny Robbins, a journalist - said with due respect to a profession where most are not researchers, writers or thinkers - in the Houston Chronicle series, "Out of Bounds."
The number of coaches involved in sexual misconduct with students is generally attributed to two factors. One is the amount of unstructured time coaches and students spend together. The other is the power and stature of coaches, particularly those affiliated with successful programs.The third piece of bad information in the ABC story is that men are the most likely offenders in schools where men comprise a smaller percentage of teachers. The 15% is not a figure that I recognize as valid. The only place I have seen 15% is Broward County (Florida) schools. But elsewhere I don't think men are so underrepresented in teaching.
One of the factors affecting statistics is that women teachers are, by and large, underprosecuted. You gather that by the unwillingness of males to testify against the teacher for reasons that have to do with maleness, protectiveness and a desire to shield a woman. Despite what feminists say, most males would rather take the blame for the situation. And they do, usually by not testifying. Males, too, when they do testify are pilloried by other males. Societal attitudes, too, play a role in clearly understanding the concept of female predators. Parents of female students are more likely to prosecute than male students. It's less the "sheltered female" than outraged fathers.
And, too, the sentences handed out to female teachers who sexually abuse or exploit male students are, because of unwillingness to testify, very low. That hardly encourages a family to pursue the matter with all the attendant publicity.
I would have been impressed had the author of the article contacted S.E.S.A.M.E. (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct and Exploitation) But it's probably because it wasn't on the reporter's rolodex.
