Tenure

Board votes to revoke tenure and fire teacher.

Jan 31, 2008 - The West Ottawa Board of Education voted this week to revoke tenure and attempt to fire West Ottawa High School biology teacher Karl Nadolsky for "allegedly ensuring students passed his course."

A test in October had the correct answers to 27 of 34 multiple choice questions italicized. On two other exam questions, Nadolsky is accused of using a larger-size print and of bold-facing the correct answers. During a second test in November, Nadolsky allowed students use a study guide during the exam. The documents were obtained by The Press through the Freedom of Information Act

When a student alerted administrators, it is alleged that Nadolsky named the student and allowed other students in the to berate the person. Administrators have branded Nadolsky "unfit to teach." Nadolsky is is expected to file an appeal with the Michigan Tenure Commission.

The difficulty of actually firing him or revoking his tenure is summed up by a board member.

"The guy should resign, retire and leave," said Bill Bloemendaal, a retired teacher and a 12-year member of the West Ottawa board.

Bloemendaal, however, voted against trying to fire Nadolsky, noting tenure battles are lengthy and that the teacher would be paid during the fight. The board member feels Nadolsky could supervise a study hall or perform another school function.

While they paid him full wages, of course.

APPEAL EXPECTED Feb 1 - He is expected to appeal and the appeal would be heard by an administrative law judge who presides over tenure cases for the Michigan Department of Education. Nadolsky has been on, what else? paid leave since November.
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ONLINE RESOURCE: Administrative law decisions can be found here.
Both Teacher Certification decisions and Tenure decisions can be found at the link. HTML is easier to read.

One Teacher Certification Case
Convicted of assault and battery of a student, a teacher was counseled for "cognitive restructuring" and couldn't be fired. Renewal of a teaching certificate in 2005 lead to discovery that a teacher had been convicted in 1986 of attempted accosting of a minor for immoral purposes. It was a misdemeanor. (He called the minor student at home, made explicit sexual statements to her, left pornographic material and a note on her locker and attempted to meet her where police intervened.)

Imagine how the student felt when he continued to teach in Michigan because a panel at Michigan State in 1992 renewed his teaching certificate knowing of his conviction. They revoked his license in 2006.

TENURE CASES are far more tedious to read and while a few are for incompetence, too few are. We can only imagine how horrendously bad the teacher's performance was to warrant revocation of tenure.
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SUSPENSIONS Feb 26, 2008 - Nadolsky was suspended twice, once for threatening a student, and once following a sexual harassment charge. Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Rich Zuker said he expected six months to pass before getting a court date with an administrative law judge. Once the judge hands down a decision, Nadolsky could be fired or resume teaching, Zuker said.

TENURE HEARING June 25, 2008 - The first tenure hearing in the district's 50-year history begins today as veteran teacher Karl Nadolsky, 58, fights to keep his job.

Tenure hearings are relatively rare because a buyout often can be negotiated for less money, attorneys say. Only about 50 each year are held statewide and it takes an average of 10 1/2 months to resolve one, according to the State Office of Hearings and Rules.

Nadolsky, like most teachers, requested his hearing be closed to the public.

Fil Iorio, Nadolsky's attorney is sponsored by the Michigan Education Association.

While awaiting the hearing to contest his dismissal, Nadolsky has been paid his full salary of $69,712 and received his full benefits package of $16,198, according to information obtained by The Press through the Freedom of Information Act. West Ottawa also paid $23,577 for a substitute to cover Nadolsky's classes from Thanksgiving to the end of the academic year.

The judge will have 60 days after testimony concludes to issue a written opinion to the five members of the governor-appointed Michigan Tenure Commission on whether there is sufficient evidence to dismiss Nadolsky.

Either party can appeal the judge's decision to the tenure commission, which reviews transcripts of the hearing and summaries submitted by attorneys to affirm or overturn the decision.

Thirty days after the time for a final appeal lapses, the state posts the resolution on the Michigan Department of Education's Web site, often the only public acknowledgment of the matter, according to the department's communications office.

Lithia, FLORIDA

Jan 31, 2008 - Ronald Lewis, 35, a girls' soccer coach at Newsome High School, was arrested on charges he had sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl.

He faces seven counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. On January 19, 2008, Lewis told a juvenile witness that he had been having a sexual relationship with the victim since February 2007,

According to the Hillsborough County School District, Lewis was hired in July of 2004 as a substitute teacher. He became the boys head soccer coach at Newsome High School in July, and started working in the school's computer lab in August. Lewis has been suspended with pay.
Full Name: Ronald Eugene Lewis

SECOND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TEACHER
The district suspended Plant teacher Christopher Gillis, 22, with pay pending an investigation, Cobbe said. He was hired in September. The district is reviewing his computer to see if the case needs to be reported to law enforcement.

Officials first became aware of accusations against him late Wednesday when an assistant principal saw the female student in a hallway and asked how she was doing, Cobbe said. The 17-year-old student then reported the e-mail.

Ocala, FLORIDA

FOUND DEAD OF SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND.

Jan 29, 2008 -
Jerry Bonds, 65, a substitute at Belleview Elementary School, was arrested after a month-long investigation. Bounds was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior on a victim under 12,

According to police, the second grader,said that on two separate occasions, once in November and the other in December, Bounds touched her inappropriately. She said he also requested that she wear a skirt the next time he was a sub in her class.

The victim came forward because she told her parents she was too scared to return to school after the holiday break because Bounds told her not to tell anyone about the incidents or they would both be in trouble.
Full Name: Jerry Michael Bounds

Marion County Sheriff's Office. Look for press release.

Jan 31 - Bounds was found dead inside his home. He died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Substitute teacher charged with lewd acts commits suicide

Central Florida 13 reports that deputies said they were preparing to arrest him again on charges involving two children at another school.

Sick and Personal Leave

Jan 20, 2008 - Public school teachers in one area in Michigan took an average of eight days for sick and personal leave last school year — nearly twice the rate for workers in other professions nationally.

Figures obtained by the Citizen Patriot (Michigan) show local teachers had an absence rate of 4.3 percent of their required work days. The numbers also show the cost of the missed work to taxpayers, with area school districts spending $1.5 million on substitute teachers in 2006-07, according to data provided by the schools under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Critics of teacher absenteeism said there is another cost: The impact on student learning that results from substitute teachers who aren't trained as well as full-time instructors.

The newspaper found:
Avg. number of days teachers took off for sick and personal leave = 8
Number of days contracts for most area school districts allow teachers to take = 12
Number of days last year that 1,867 teachers were out of the classroom = 14,850
Amount area schools spent on substitute teachers in 2006-07 = $1.5 million

These did not include additional days off teachers took for maternity leaves, long-term paid absence for major illnesses, funerals, union-related business days off, and district business days for training and meetings. The national average of teacher absences is nine to 10 days, according to an August report by researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Mass

Teachers at most public schools can be absent from the classroom with no questions asked up to 14 days — 7.5 percent — of the 188-day school year, that includes 1,096 hours of instruction and five in-service days for professional development. The figure is negotiated in their contracts.

Veteran teachers in most districts who collect roll-over sick days from previous years can be absent for up to half or even three-quarters of a school year, based on the maximum number of accumulation days, which vary from 90 to 200 days locally.

Unused sick days can be rolled over each year and accumulated so teachers can use them in subsequent years. Some districts allow teachers to cash in unused sick days when they retire.

TT - Be sure to read the comments at the story.

We discovered teachers in Maine get 15-17 sick leave days a year. In Massachusetts, the Eagle Tribune had a series called "Marked Absent" in 2003. Entry You can read a lot of teacher contracts on line, but the best way to find out how many sick days are given a year is to visit the state Board of Education web sites or large school districts in the section where they recruit teachers and they list benefits that include sick leave.

Bakersfield, CALIFORNIA

Dec 16, 2007 - Marshall Neal, 33, a Garces Memorial High School social studies teacher, was arrested and faces charges of oral copulation with a minor. Oral copulation with a person under 18 years old is a felony. The 16-year-old reported the incident to officers.
Full Name: Marshall David Neal

No online Bakersfield Police Department release.

Neal is the fourth local teacher arrested this month.

Jan 4, 2008 - KGET reports that Neal reportedly told his 17-year-old victim to lie to police

A police report filed in connection with the court case says Marshall David Neal, 33, told the girl to tell police they only kissed.

In reality, officers allege the girl performed oral sex on Neal in November and in December. The report does not indicate where the activity took place, but it says Neal also performed oral sex on the girl. The girl was a student at the school.

Later, police say Neal encouraged the victim to erase her e-mails and change her computer password.

KERO 23 - Neal has been charged with two felony counts of oral copulation with a minor.
Arraignment is scheduled for Jan 17.

FOX 58 has a link to court documents PDF (Graphic sex warning.)

ARRAIGNMENT Jan 17 - Neal pleaded not guilty. He will return to court on Jan. 31.

GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCING - Jan 31, 2008 - Neal pleaded no contest to one count of oral copulation with a minor under the age of 18. The judge said the court would treat the no contest plea as a guilty plea. [All no contest pleas are treated as guilty pleas.]

Neal was sentenced to one year in jaill - not prison - three years' probation and will have to register as a sex offender.

Neal will probably serve less than half of his one-year sentence, said Kern County Sheriff's Sgt. Ed Komin. With chronic problems of overcrowding at Lerdo jail, nonviolent inmates are often released early.

Reality Check

Sex with students is rarely "romantic" or "an affair" as many Harlequin Romance-smitten headline writers are apt to call it.

Sex with students is sordid and manipulative and even a starry-eyed reporter would have a hard time reading the Underlying Facts and Circumstances document for Rebecca Bogard (found at this news story) and not call it was it is - sexual exploitation.

Exploitation defined:

"To exploit someone is to make use of him or her for one's own ends by playing on a weakness or vulnerability. Those with power have the inherent potential to exploit those without power. A manipulative educator can exploit a student's respect, innocence, naivete, need for affection, insecurity, or low self-concept." - Robert J. Shoop, "Sexual Exploitation in Schools: How to Spot It and Stop It." p 7

Most people recognize that paying starving wages to an illegal alien is exploiting his vulnerability and fear of deportation. When the aid worker in Africa holds out the offer of food in exchange for sex, it's the same bargain. When a teacher has sex with a student the educator has the same defense and delusion.

Many of these educators think that they were the ones being taken advantage of, as one teacher who sent us two long e-mails this week seems to believe. Posters, mostly students and family members who defend popular teachers, frequently say that the teenager (age 17, 18, 16, 15, 14, whatever) threw herself at the teacher. A pedophile feels the same about a six-year-old because they find the child seductive, not faulting their own twisted mental processes that this should be so for him.

Twenty-something, thirty-something, forty-something teachers aren't suitable sexual partners for schoolchildren. Period. That they should think so and act on the impulse isn't a mental disorder. It's a lack of self-control, an almost total absence of moral values, mixed with a heady taste of authority. Once caught, they refer to sex crimes with minors as "mistakes." So does the pedophile.

Mistakes are what children do when they touch hot stoves because they lack experience or information. Educators know that sex with students is illegal. There is not a single teacher in this country who hasn't been informed of this fact. Not one. They just don't care.

When a grown man walks into a courtroom and hopes for probation after having been convicted of five statutory rape and two assault charges, it means that our laws and the promised consequences have no deterrent effect. The girl was 13-years-old. He has another trial scheduled in July for sex with a 16-year-old. For each rape charge he can expect to serve two years except - of course - if the judge decides that he will serve the sentences concurrently or if he gets time off for good behavior. Or if he gets an early parole. A good lawyer will assure him that it is unlikely that he will do more than a year and a half.

If you planned, actively planned, to commit a sex offense, you could do no worse than become a teacher. Rarely is anyone afforded such easy access to children without supervision, have such a tolerant employer as school districts who will allow you to resign at the first sign of trouble or just not renew a contract, which will allow you to misbehave in as many as four or five schools before you are arrested. When you are caught, a union-supplied lawyer will defend you at no expense to yourself, and archaic and insane labor laws mean that even if you are convicted, you might not lose your license and livelihood.

As the DirectTV woman says in the ad, "How sweet is that?"

Quotes

UNBELIEVABLE QUOTES OF THE DAY

"It disturbs me that they removed him from the classroom. There were no children involved, nothing to do with children. It was on his own time and away from school property. There's no reason he should not be in the classroom."
- a parent when interviewed by a t.v. crew in front of an elementary school when asked - with children present - about a teacher who was arrested for lewd conduct for masturbating in a public rest room off I-86.

"He's the greatest teacher ever at Diven and it was on his own time. They should just leave him alone and bring him back to school."
-said another parent (WETM did not interview adults with their children present.)

The teacher is Chris Troncone, 40, an elementary teacher in Elmira, N.Y. Entry
Apparently, masturbation is just another hobby one does in their spare time. In public and wherever the whim hits them.

Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA

Jan 30, 3007 - Regis E. Kirby, 48, a Carrick High School art teacher, was was arraigned Wednesday charged with two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of selling or furnishing liquor to minors and one count each of indecent assault, corruption of minors and terroristic threats.

Kirby is accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy in June. A preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday.

Albany, GEORGIA

Jan 30, 2008 - Shakitha Hadley, 23, a math teacher at Dougherty Comprehensive High School, was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and possession of ecstasy, both with the intent to distribute, and possession of drugs within one thousand feet of a school.

She was pulled over by Albany Dougherty Drug Unit agents and drugs were found in her car. No other details available
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GreatSchools.net rates the school 2. There are four pages of reviews, mostly from students who grade the school highly, except for the oldest entry dated 2004. All other comments appear to be aimed at erasing that one impression.

The test scores aren't the worst we have ever seen until you get to the End-of Course Tests (EOTC) 11th grade results which pretty much sum up the lifetime learning experience of students.

The school web site is required to post a notice that Dougherty Comprehensive High School:
This school is in "Needs Improvement" status under NCLB guidelines.
This school is required to offer choice under NCLB guidelines.

The city information for Albany, GA shows a violent crime index of 7 (with 1 being lowest.)

What a shame that students who need good role models and examples to help guide them into making better choices have to learn that a teacher was arrested for cocaine and ecstacy. It's another failure they will probably embrace as their own that isn't deserved.

Permanent Revocation

LEGISLATION WATCH

In Utah, the House Education Committee voted unamimously passed HB286, which would permanently revoke the license of any teacher who molests a student or any other child. The bill was an outgrowth of the conviction of Frank Laine Hall, a Riverton teacher, who was convicted of molesting his students and his license was revoked for 25 years. TT entry

Text of the bill
Tracking the bill
You can also sign up for e-mail notification to be alerted for changes in the text or the status of the bill.

FOLLOWUP June 4, 2008 - The bill was substituted in the Senate. The new bill is HB 286 Substitute. The bill was signed into law March 17, 2008.
Text of the substitute bill

Geismar, LOUISIANA

On the job five months at the school, she was arrested for sexual conduct with a student.

Jan 30, 2008 - Sharon Oleson, 41, a Dutchtown High School English teacher, was arrested and charged with prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and a student. It's alleged the contact was with an 18-year-old male student.

The boy's mother went to the school to complain Jan 16, showing the principal notes exchanged between her son and Oleson, and said her ex-husband told her he saw Oleson and his son in a bar together one night.

When she spoke to her son, he asked that she not show the notes or contact school authorities and that he and Oleson would stop seeing each other. Oleson resigned for personal reasons the next day. She only began teaching at the school in August.

Oleson was charged with violating a recently enacted law that went into effect last August that makes prohibits sexual relation that include intercourse, lewd and lascivious acts and sexual touching. The crime is a misdemeanor and it does not appear on a convicted person's record.
Full Name: Sharon Suzonne Oleson

Aston, PENNSYLVANIA

Sentenced to 380 days in jail for corruption, bribery and drug offenses.

Jan 30, 2008 - Keith Crego, 37, former board president of the Penn-Delco School District pleaded guilty to charges in connection with a scheme to secretly invest money in a company that operated child-care programs in the district.

He was sentenced to 380 days in jail - not prison - and five years' probation for corruption, bribery and drug offenses. He was also was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

The school superintendent, Leslye Abrutyn, pleaded no contest to conflict-of-interest charges. Abrutyn invested $10,000 in the company after Crego threatened to withhold positive job recommendations for her with any future employers. She was sentenced to house arrest.
Full Name: Keith Charles Crego

Sept 17, 2007 "Eight board members have resigned in the past 14 months."

PREVIOUS coverage of the Penn-Delco School District and Keith Crego.
Jan 17, 2008 entry.
Crego resigned in 2006 after a sex scandal with another board member.
Indicted on combined 22 felony charges and 21 misdemeanors.
Crego was charged with possessing anabolic steroids and Ecstasy with intent to distribute.

Jan 18, 2008 entry
Crego arrested for witness intimidation.
The "the bad publicity brought on by the breakup cost Crego his posts as school-board president and vice chairman of the Aston Republican Party."

Herndon, VIRGINIA

Jan 9, 2007 - Richard C. Forsythe, 37, a math teacher at Herndon Middle School, has been charged with custodial indecent liberties with a minor.

He turned himself into police and has been placed on administrative leave by the school. Police have declined to discuss the custodial relationship or other details.

June 28 - Additional charges have been filed against Forsythe charging that had inappropriate contact in October with the then-16-year-old girl in his home in Sterling, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office alleges. He was charged by Loudoun authorities with custodial indecent liberties with a minor. He's being held without bond.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCINGJan 30, 2008 - Forsythe pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was sentenced in Fairfax County Circuit Court to 12 months in jail - not prison - that was SUSPENDED with the understanding that Forsythe would plead guilty and be sentenced in Loudoun County for custodial indecent liberties with a high school student.

SENTENCED March 19, 2008 -County Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Horne sentenced Forsythe to two years, but suspended all but 90 days of the sentence.
After his release from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center sometime in this late spring, the 38-year-old will spend the next two years on probation and in sex offender counseling. And for the rest of his life, Forsythe will be registered and labeled as a sex offender.

"He will never teach again," said defense attorney Edward Nuttall. "He's lost everything," including his home, his life savings and his marriage of 10 years.

County Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Horne sentenced Forsythe to two years, but suspended all but 90 days of the sentence. [Remarks by the judge at the news site.]

NEWS BRIEFS

NEWS BRIEFS

REALITY DENIED
Citing the difficulty in regulating access to the Internet, a judge denied bond to a teacher in Virginia who was arrested and charged with using his computer to solicit sex with a 13-year-old girl,

At the hearing, a female student from the high school, a coach and a teacher testified on his behalf. When the prosecutor showed the two adults a transcript of an online conversation the coach allegedly had with a minor and asked them if that changed their minds. The two said they still did not consider him a threat.
TT entry News story link

VE KNOW BETTER
A teacher in Germany claimed that her rating on the website "spickmich" infringed her personal rights. Her claim has been rejected in two German courts. Educationist Peter Silbernagel said evaluating teachers on a public website was "inappropriate" and undermined proper communication between teacher and pupil.

Educationalist - noun, a person out of touch with reality who wants to teach your child.

Canton, NORTH CAROLINA

Jan 29, 2008 - Thomas Allen Jr., 45, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Canton Middle School, was arrested and charged him with felony solicitation of a child by computer to commit an unlawful sex act.

Police allege Allen tried to solicit sex over the Internet from an officer posing as a 15-year-old boy.

Allen was initially suspended by the school district. “We are in the dismissal process,” Bill Nolte, associate superintendent of Haywood County Schools, said. “Information will be forwarded to the Department of Public Instruction, and they will make a decision about whether or not licensure is maintained or revoked. The board will be presented with dismissal action at their Feb 11 meeting.
Thomas Eric Allen Jr.,

Virginia City, NEVADA

Jan 29, 2008 -
William Beeson, an English and theater arts teacher at Virginia City High School, has been arrested on sexual assault charges.

He was charged with one count of suspicion of felony sexual assault of a child under the age of 16, one general count of suspicion of felony sexual assault and one count of suspicion of misdemeanor unlawful conduct with a child. The cases police are investigating are several years old.

[He is listed as "former" teacher in the article, but it doesn't indicate when he left Virginia City High School or if the charges are related to his employment at the school.]

Photo Storey County Sheriff's Department

SETTLEMENT REJECTED BY SCHOOL BOARD Jan 30 - KOLO 8 on the settlement that the school rejected.

Beeson was accused in April 2007 of improperly touching a student and was placed on administrative leave by the school district a month later. He was fired in August.

In November he offered a settlement that was rejected by the school board. Under the proposal, Beeson would have been allowed to resign rather than be fired, and the board would have bought out the remaining time on his contract.

In return, Beeson would have waived appeals, given up his teaching credentials and agreed not to seek or accept a similar position anywhere in the United States.

School board members upheld the firing in December, and the matter is now headed to arbitration.

Jan 30, 2008 - Beeson was placed on administrative leave after authorities said a security camera captured him touching a male student in a common school during an April play rehearsal. County District Attorney Harold Swafford said then no charges were filed because he didn’t believe a crime was committed.

In December, however, Law enforcement authorities disclosed that two other former students made similar allegations against Beeson.

Feb 5 - Arraignment is scheduled for Feb 13.

ARRESTED (AGAIN) May 3 - Beeson was arrested on Friday for allegedly violating court-ordered conditions of his release by being in the company of a 16-year-old male described by Storey County Sheriff's Sgt. Ken Quirk as a runaway and incorrigible juvenile. Beeson was booked into the Storey County jail with a no bail hold for contempt of court by violating conditions of his bail release.

TRIAL ORDERED July 3 - After a five-hour preliminary hearing in which the two alleged victims testified, Storey County Justice Court Senior Judge Edward R. Johnson determined there was enough evidence to try William Beeson, 58, on a count of felony sexual assault and gross misdemeanor unlawful contact with a child. He will be arraigned later this month.

Assistant district attorney Grant argued the willful and malicious intent pertained only to the repetitive way in which Beeson allegedly rubbed the back of the alleged victim before eventually putting his hand into the waistband of the boy’s underwear, all of which was caught on tape during a rehearsal at Piper’s Opera House.

Westfield, WISCONSIN

Jan 29, 2008 - Shawn Ebersold, a Westfield teacher and boys' basketball coach, pleaded no contest to a charge of having sexually explicit Internet chat conversations with one of his students, who was 16 or 17 at the time.

He was granted deferred prosecution for two years and was ordered to complete court-ordered psychological counselling. After two years, the charge will be changed to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Marquette County Circuit Court Judge Richard Wright scolded Ebersold for violating his position as a teacher — someone students look up to.

"Taking advantage of that situation as you did is absolutely reprehensible," he said.

Ebersold was originally charged in 2005 with sending sexually explicit instant messages to the student. During the conversations, "Ebersold provided graphic descriptions of sexual activity," according to a criminal complaint. The conversations also reportedly included Ebersold expressing a desire to engage in sex acts with the alleged victim and another female.

A legal technicality led to the dismissal of the charge in February 2006. An appeals court reversed the decision last November, and the case was reopened. Ebersold resigned in June 2004 and surrendered his teaching license.

The girl spoke about how students at her school harassed her and how she was ostracized. Even her own brother stopped talking to her.

Ebersold is 33.

East Moline, ILLINOIS

Jan 29, 2008 - Rosendo Terronez, 58, a science teacher at United Township High School, was sentenced to 12 months of court supervision for exposing himself to two undercover officers who were investigating sexual activity in a book store.

The store has booths where customers can pay to view pornographic video videos. Terronez entered one, tried to pull down the pants of an undercover officer, and then exposed himself. After the officer left, Terronez entered another booth and repeated the sex offer to another investigator.

He was put on paid administrative leave after his arrest and resigned in December. Terronez was the school's webmaster. The court withheld judgement suggesting that they may drop the charge if he completes his supervision.

Former UT teacher pleads guilty to soliciting (QuadCities online)
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Mr. Terronez’s teaching certificate was valid as of Tuesday afternoon. Andrea Preston, a board spokesperson, said the board only could take action if a conviction is entered by the court.

THE KICKER If Terronez completes the 12-month unsupervised probation, the conviction will not be entered on his record.

Denver, COLORADO

Perverts and pedophiles seek access to children wherever they can.

Jan 19, 2008 - A day camp teacher has pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child. Michael DiPalma, 33, pleaded guilty to sexual assault for luring an 8-year-old boy into his car while other children were on lunch break.

DiPalma drove the boy to an apartment parking lot, pulled his pants down and spanked him.

In May 2006, he was fired from an after-school program in Denver after spanking at least two students. In New Mexico, he was given a deferred judgment and probation after he was accused of unlawful sexual contact with a child in 1999.

From arrest story (Aug 4, 2006) DePalma also worked in at least two Denver Public School elementary buildings. Unlike requirements for regular district employees, Colorado law does not require schools to conduct state and national criminal-background checks for contract workers or volunteers.

In May, he was barred from continuing to teach an after-school enrichment class offered by Computer Tots/Computer Explorers at Steck Elementary School.

DETAILS
New MexicoPolice Report
Click here to read the report detailing the Albuquerque Police Department's investigation into Michael DiPalma's past. (PDF)

SENTENCED April 4, 2008 - Palma was sentenced Friday to two years in the county jail - not prison - and intensive supervision sex offender probation for 10 years to life. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

Quote

"Well, it's not even pornography. It's a visual record of the rape of a child."

When authorities raided the home of a high school English teacher, they found a computer with more than 600 videos and more than 12,000 photos. Entry

Cheating Children

Stealing from the poorest children in the country is an art form in New Jersey.

In Camden, New Jersey, another one of those school districts under state watch, the school principal at H.B. Wilson Elementary and his top aide are accused of charging parents for school trips that the school had already paid for. They took money from fundraisers and donations.

Today, Patricia Johnson, a top school administrator who worked with principal Michael Hailey pleaded guilty to illegally collecting more than $14,000 from parents and teachers for field trips that were paid for by the school. She has agreed to testify against co-conspirators.
TT entry for Johnson, Hailey and others.

See TT entry for three teachers in Camden who lost tenure for bilking the district.

The outrage is that while celebrities swank around the world in a search for high-visibility causes at the behest of their publicists, and Oprah Winfrey starts a school for black girls in South Africa, some of the poorest children in America languish in some of the worst schools in this country-- in New Jersey.

TT - entry for Pleasantville, NJ
TT - that we referr to a Un-Pleasantville entry
TT - Board objects to monitors entry
TT - Education cash cow entry
TT - Cash cows entry

TT entry for Camden.

We remarked then that "School administration is just as lucrative as drugs, prostitution or extortion."

The median household income for Camden is $26,163
The median household income for New Jersey $63,167
U.S. median household income is $45,937
Source: Greatschools.net

Camden School population 53% Black 44% Hispanic
Spending per pupil: In Camden - $17,856 Statewide - $14,117
Source: Greatschools.net

Test scores for Camden schools are abysmal. Students are required to pass HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) in order to receive a high school diploma. The goal is for all students to score at or above the proficient level. (Proficient = AT grade level.) HSPA results for Camden 11th graders.

Setting the record straight

Jan 28, 2008 - Jerry Garrett was an Illinois teacher arrested for molesting a 4-year-old. Three years later, a jury found him not guilty. He still can't find a job or teach.

He said some people are still only interested in the accusation. And until now, he told FoxNews, no television station or newspaper followed up.

Attorney Joel Schwartz said the media shares the blame with the general public and that too many people ignore 'not guilty verdicts.
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TT - It is a problem because the media - newspapers, radio and t.v. - do not follow up on such stories. We know because we have been contacted several times by people whose stories have appeared on this blog and have advised them how to get a follow-up story printed. Who to contact, what documentation to provide, and how to approach the media in requesting an update. We're glad to say that they did get update stories printed.

Continued here for space considerations.

Thomasville, NORTH CAROLINA

Jan 28, 2008 - Stanford Ray, 50, an attendance counselor for Thomasville City schools, was charged with sexual activity with student by school personnel other than teacher, school administrator or student teacher, which is a felony. The girl was 17 and a student at the school when the sexual relationship occurred in 2006.

"A student came forward and claimed that she had sex with [Ray] and had a baby as a baby as a result," [Thomasville police Lt. Raymond ]Widener said. "My assumption would be that we would either go for grand jury indictments or not. [Prosecutors] may decide to charge him without going to a grand jury, I don't know."

Ray has not been arrested.

Police were alerted by the Davidson County Department of Social Services. Ray was fired shortly before the Jan. 8 meeting of the Thomasville Board of Education.
Full Name: Stanford L. Ray

School counselor charged (Jan 29)

TRYING TO FIND Jan 29 - Arrest warrants have been issued and police are trying to locate Ray. The school system fired him after the superintendent conducted his own investigation earlier this month. Under state law, it's illegal for any school employee to have sexual contact with a student regardless of age.

Jan 29 - Police say the former student who made the accusations gave birth to a child in July 2007 but it is not known if Ray is the father.

If you have any information on his whereabouts, police ask you call Thomasville CrimeStoppers at (336) 476-8477.

ARRESTED Feb 12 - Ray was arrested Monday when he turned himself into police. The victim brought the information to the Davidson County Department of Social Services, which contacted the Thomasville Police Department.

June 9 - From a FOX WGHP news story: Police believe that Ray fathered the girl's child.

Wilson, NORTH CAROLINA

Jan 29, 2008 - David Earp, 33, a physicial education teacher and coach at Fike High School, was arrested and charged with one count of felony sexual offense against a student and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police were notified after the school's principal intercepted a text message from a student's cell phone. Wilson County Schools has recommended the state revoke Earp's teaching license.

Next court date is Feb 12.
Full Name: Davis Brandon Earp

Jan 29 - Earp resigned the day after his arrest.

Greenwood, ARKANSAS

Newspaper: Teacher’s File Shows Allegations

Jan 28, 2008 - Anthony Stuart Rose, 39, resigned from Wells Junior High School in Greenwood on Nov 12.

Since Stuart Rose’s resignation, school officials declined to release his personnel records. Greenwood school officials have continued to decline to release portions of Rose’s personnel file despite repeated requests, an Attorney General’s opinion and communication from the county’s prosecutor.

The county prosecutor has asked the Sebastian County Sheriff’s office to investigate the school district for possible violations of the Freedom of Information Law.

The Times-Record (Ft. Smith, ARK) conducted their own investigation of the teacher's work history.

Since 1990, Rose has taught in the following districts:
• Lavaca, August 1990 to May 1993.
• Van Buren, August 1994 to December 1995 (resignation letter dated Jan. 23, 1996).
• Fourche Valley, August 1997 to May 2000.
• Caddo Hills, July 2000 to May 2004.
• Greenwood, August 2004 to November 2007. (resigned Nov 12, 2007)

They found that in at least four of those districts, students made official complaints about inappropriate conversations and actions by Rose.

Feb 4 - The school district is still stonewalling the newspaper's FOIA request. First they claim they never received the e-mail request. Then they were waiting for an opinion from the Attorney General. The newspaper found out the Superintendent made no such request of the Attorney General.

New York legislative priorities

"NY targets Teacher sex enforcement, awareness" that's the title of the article.

Jan 27, 2008 - The Associated Press is reporting that New York legislators will be considering legislation this session to "reduce the rise in teachers having sex with students."

In a largely self-congratulatory article, the AP says that "at least 16 states are now considering tougher laws to punish teacher sexual misconduct and stronger oversight to keep abusers out of classrooms following an Associated Press series on the topic run nationwide in October." And, "In eight states, leaders pushing changes said the AP investigation had inspired their proposals."

[See AP article, "Lawmakers Crack Down on Abusive Teachers" for an overview, with more specificity, of what some states are considering.]

As a catalyst for several proposals they have in mind, the New York Board of Regents cites a 400 percent increase in complaints against teachers from 2001 to 2007, with 75 percent of actions against certified teachers involving sex. There is currently a backlog of 800 allegations, and eight investigators, attorneys and support staff to investigate the complaints.

In all, 485 misconduct cases were reported over five years, most of them involving sexual misconduct.

The Board of Regents also wants faster way to suspend then revoke licenses of a teacher or administrator convicted of a sex offense.

The push for change is bi-partisan but not always clearly articulated.

""There's definitely going to be movement on the legislative side," said Manny Rivera, deputy secretary for education to Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer. "We know the Board of Regents wants to advance a statute which calls for the automatic suspension of educators convicted of sex crimes. We're supportive of that and we'll work with them."

---

TT - Why not automatic revocation? If they're convicted, they will not be in the classroom anyway. They will be either in jail, on probation, or unemployed, provided, of course, that a school district could fire a teacher for conviction of a sex crime. And if a district can't fire a teacher for a sex crime conviction, shouldn't that be first priority?

There is no mention of transparency. New York state licenses 31 professions, including doctors, nurses, dentists, optometrists, psychologists, lawyers, architects, pharmacists, etc. They list the disciplinary actions for every one of those professions online. If you want to know what disciplinary action has been taken against, or is being considered against, an educator, you have to file a freedom of information request. (See #6)

Also missing from the proposals is a national teacher registry. Currently, states are supposed to be reporting professional teacher discipline actions to NASDTEC (National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification) to be included in a database to be shared among the member states. The "clearinghouse" includes reported discipline actions from all 50 states, Guam, New Zealand and Ontario (Canada.)

New York State has reported a total of 897 discipline actions. That's for the period from 1980 to February 2007. During the same time frame, South Carolina, with a student population one-quarter of that of New York, reported 896 dicipline actions against educations. (California reported 5,997 educators during the same period.)
Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune, "National database of problem teachers is flawed", Dec 17, 2007. TT entry.

Every parent and taxpayer would applaud efforts to reduce teacher misconduct that involved sex with students. But not by legislators or education bureaucrats who have made it their business for decades to shield those who sexually exploit children because teachers unions are major contributors, teachers and educrats vote, and protecting the education establishment is more important than the safety of children entrusted to their care.

Be honest: their first priority in "reform" will be to make certain YOU won't know anything more than you know today.

Count on it.

Topeka, KANSAS

Being too smart for his own good.

Jan 27, 2008 - The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the murder conviction of former Kansas State professor Thomas E. Murray who was convicted in 2003 of the murder of his ex-wife, Carmen Ross, who also worked at Kansas State. Murray was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 25 years.

Prosecutors were suspicious of Murray because of his statements in a nine-and-a-half hour interview with detectives the night his ex-wife was killed. Murray didn't even ask about how Ross died until two-and-a-half hours into the interview.

The court decision was unanimous.

"Although no one had informed the defendant how Carmin died, he told the police in his interview that he would not have done anything 'like they were suggesting' because he was a 'thinking man,'" said Justice Robert E. Davis, writing for a unanimous court.

"He explained that if he were going to commit a homicide, he would do it with an airborne poison 'or something really slick.' He later stated that he was 'having fun with this from a CSI perspective.'"

Police officers reported the murder was one of the most gruesome to take place in Douglas County.

---

STATE OF KANSAS v. THOMAS E. MURRAY Decision
It's worth reading if only to see how smart Murray thought he was.

A search of the defendant's computer revealed that he had run several searches between October 8, 2003, and November 10, 2003, including: "colorless and odorless poison"; "homicide"; "poisoning and colorless and odorless and murder and perfect and tasteless"; "murder for hire"; "how to hire an assassin"; "how to kill someone quickly and quietly"; "the best way to kill someone"; and "eyedrops and murder and csi."

His interview with police would make a hit comedy series skit.

West Boylston, MASSACHUSETTS

You won't believe what his lawyer said.

Jan 27, 2008 - Dianne Williamson, writing in the Worchester Telegram & Gazette, on why Trolling Web for teen sex is for Dummies."

[Teacher Scott Simoncini] was arrested at his Worcester home Jan. 18 after chatting with another “girl” in Massachusetts, where he again allegedly sent a series of photos of himself, some in the nude. And in keeping with the general brain power of these men, one of the photos found “cuteteacherguy29” sporting a West Boylston High baseball cap.

Read the whole thing.
TT - Entry for Simoncini

None of your business

Translation: It's none of your business.

Stupid comments from school officials when an educator is arrested that translate to "It's none of your business." There are hundreds of reasons cited why officials "can't" give out information.

It's a personnel matter # 451
# In Schenectady (NY) two school officials were fired. Police were called by the school as a precaution. But school officials could not go into personnel matters including why the employees were fired. They would not provide contact information for the fired school director, either. Link

# A kindergarten teacher in West Virginia was arrested for drunk driving on her way to school. The district will investigate. It's a personnel matter. Link

# In New Jersey, not only wouldn't the school superintendent confirm the teacher was employed, but also declined to comment on what Beebe's job was with the district, citing it as a personnel matter. Link
[This is only easy in New Jersey. Do not attempt in other states without testing first.]

Continued here for space considerations.

Hudson, OHIO

Burned alive.

Jan 26, 2008 - Two girls burned in a chemistry lab accident at Western Reserve Academy received a $18.9 million settlement from the school for injuries sustained when a chemistry teacher poured methanol -- wood alcohol - from a gallon-sized jug - into a flame during a classroom demonstration.

Continued here for space considerations.

Brooks, OREGON

Accused teacher is now a newspaper editor. WAS. He was dismissed.

Jan 26, 2008 - In a new twist, an Oregon man arrested this week on rape and sodomy and charges of a student in 2000 is the editor of an Oregon newspaper. He worked for a newspaper in Virginia for three years before taking over the Ashland Daily Tidings (OR) in July 2003.
(The rape and sodomy charges were later dropped.)

Andrew Bolsinger, 41, was a teacher at Willamette Valley Christian School in Brooks, Oregon, in 2000 when it is alleged he had a sexual relationship with the girl. TT- Link for Bolsinger

Martinsville, INDIANA

Sentenced (sorta): 18 months' probation after which she can petition to have the charge reduced even more.

Dec 3, 2007 - Sentencing has been delayed for Cynthia Rynard, 32, a Martinsville High School English teacher, who was charged with one count of child seduction as a Class D felony.

According to court records, Rynard agreed to a plea agreement and was to be sentenced Friday morning by special judge Richard Tandy. The new date has not been set.

BACKGROUND
Reynard surrendered to police in February. She was accused of having sexual contact with a 17-year-old male student. Rumors had been circulating at the school since January. The rumor was the student had allowed the teacher to perform oral sex on him so he could receive a better grade in her class, the affidavit states. A student told a teacher's aide who then told the head of the school's English department. The school investigated but ended their investigation due to "a lack of evidence."

The prosecutor was informed that the boy had a cell phone paid for by Rynard. Police re-opened the investigation. The boy made a statement to police.

The boy said they parked and talked. They began kissing but it was awkward in the front seat of her van so they moved into the back. At one point, the boy said Rynard pulled his pants down and performed oral sex on him.

The boy said he did not ejaculate and that Rynard quit because she had to get back to school.

Full Name: Cynthia Marie Rynard

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCED Jan 26, 2008 - Rynard pleaded guilty to one count of dissimilating matter harmful to a minor, a charge that includes lewd behavior or performances.

Special Judge Richard Tandy sentenced Rynard to 18 months in jail, suspended except for the eight days she had served. She was put on probation for 18 months. Tandy said she could seek to have the charge reduced after she completes her probation. [TT - Why didn't he just give her a Free Pass to Perform Oral Sex on Minors card?]

Her attorney asked the judge to consider that his client was taking responsibility for her actions and was currently in counseling. He said she has a young son who needs her and to send her to jail would be a hardship on him. [TT - If this had been a man, you can bet the same argument could not be used and would not be a factor even if the man had been a primary, or even sole, care giver.]

She will be allowed to attend events with her son where there were children present as long as there were other adults there.

TT - It's absolutely amazing how many school districts conduct investigations without trained investigators and without any knowledge of the law or rules of evidence, who can't find any evidence.

SB 1105

Jan 25, 2008 - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune (CA) on SB 1105 in their weekly "It's Politics" reports.

State Sen. Sen. Bob Margett, R-Glendora, has introduced legislation he says will close a loophole which has allowed teachers who plead no contest to misdemeanor sex offenses to continue teaching in the classroom.

Under the current teacher credentialing law, if a person is found guilty of a misdemeanor sex offense, they immediately lose their teaching credential, effectively barring them from teaching.
However, if there is a plea of no contest, then all credentials held by the person are suspended until a final decision by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is made.

This has allowed some teachers who have pleaded no contest to sexual offenses to come back into the classroom, Margett said.

SB 1105 would close this loophole by eliminating the distinction between a guilty plea and a "no contest" plea for misdemeanor convictions for credential holders.

"You should not be able to plead no contest to a sex offense just so you can continue teaching," Margett said.

"If you are innocent, you plead innocent, and you show the court why you are innocent," he said. "Otherwise, you should not exploit a loophole so you can continue teaching a classroom full of children and place them in jeopardy."

---

TT - Is that politics or is it common sense? Well, anywhere else it's probably common sense, which means that it will never pass in the highly partisan California legislature. It will never even be heard, primarily because newspapers in California think it is just "politics" instead of a responsible solution to a genuine problem that affects parents and the safety of their children.

On the other hand, had a state senator proposed legislation to give tenure to teachers after six weeks on the job, that would be referred to as "educational reform."

THE BILL
SB 1105 text (as introduced) Bill tracking (click on bill history)

EDUCATION COMMITTEES
A look at the Education committees in the California Senate and Assembly shows why reform just will never happen. Not in their lifetimes, not with their ties to the educational establishment that is the biggest industry in California.

Continued here for space considerations.

Montgomery, MINNESOTA

Sentenced to 12 years in prison for sex with a student beginning when she was 14.



ARRESTED June 6, 2007 -
Troy Michael Bernard, 35, a fifth grade teacher at Montgomery Middle School, was arrested and charged with first degree criminal sexual misconduct for a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. (She was 14 years-old when the sexual relationship began.)

A child protection worker contacted police. The mother helped police.
KARE 11:

The woman then agreed to make a call to Bernard so police could listen. In that call Bernard said he hadn't seen the teen since the woman had confronted him. He said he didn't know how many times they'd had sex and admitted he hadn't always used a condom.

The Le Sueur County Sheriff's Department believe their may be other victims and ask that anyone with information contact them at 507-357-4440.

RESIGNED June 19 - After his arrest Bernard resigned. Investigators have received other calls on the teacher that they are investigating.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "According to the criminal complaint, the girl's mother had previously told her daughter never to be alone with Bernard "because of the rumors in town ... that Bernard likes to be with high school girls." Prior to working at the middle school, he spent two years as a special education teacher in the Dover-Eyota School District. Bernard hasn't entered a plea yet. His next court date is August.

GUILTY PLEA Oct 22 - Bernard pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for having sexual relations with a student for nearly a year, beginning when the girl was 14. His lawyer said Bernard did not want a trial because he didn't want the victim testifying in public. Sentencing was set for Jan. 8.

SENTENCED Jan 26, 2008 - Troy Bernard sobbed and put his head in his hands as Judge Richard Perkins sentenced him Friday to 12 years in prison. He was accused of having sex with the girl from July 2006 to May 2007 at his Montgomery home -- beginning when she was 14.

"You knew — you knew! — what you were doing was wrong, and you knew it better than 98 percent of the sex offenders I see in this court, and that concerns me greatly. That’s a huge red flag,” Perkins told Bernard. We believe you’re remorseful, but we’re not sure to what, and to whom.”

Twelve years was the maximum allowed for the crime. He will have to serve eight years before he is eligible for parole.

LAWSUIT Feb 5 - The parents of the 14-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by Bernard have filed a lawsuit against Montgomery-Lonsdale Public Schools, claiming the school district was partially responsible for a student being sexually assaulted by a former coach and teacher. The lawsuit has moved to a federal court.

Lititz, PENNSYLVANIA

Caught in the Blazer at the rear of Friendly's Ice Cream Shop.
Arrested again in March for contacting the girl. Bond revoked.

Jan 25, 2008 - Todd Sheerer, 29, a music teacher and band director at Warwick High School, was arrested and charged with corruption of minors for allegedly engaging in a yearlong sexual relationship with one of his students. The sex acts with the girl began January 2007. The girl is now 17-years-old.

An anonymous caller notified police shortly before 4 p.m. that two people were "engaged in sexual acts" in a sport-utility vehicle in the parking lot of a restaurant. When a police officer knocked on the window of the SUV, Sheerer got out of the back seat with his pants unzipped. He told the officer that he was a Warwick teacher and that the female in the back seat with him was 19. That was on Friday.

When police interviewed the girl on Monday, they learned that several similar sex acts had occurred in parking lots of businesses, including a sports bar, a quarry, a hotel and an auto repair shop. The two met four or five times a week. She was 17. Police say three other communities are expected to file similar charges against Sheerer in connection with the alleged sexual relationship.
Full Name: Todd Nicholas Sheerer

LEGAL NOTE: Pennsylvania law states that anyone 18 and older engaging in any sexual act with someone younger than 18 can be charged with corruption of minors. [A first degree misdemeanor.] Had the girl been younger than 16 when this started, it could have been considered statutory rape.. - From WHP CBS 21

Sheerer is the second Warwick staff member in recent years to be charged in connection with alleged sexual contact with a Warwick student. A former girls' coach Troy R. May was sentenced in 2005 to 8½ to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his relationship with a 15-year-old basketball player in 2003. - From Intelligencer Journal

Jan 17 - Warwick hosts district band festival for first time in 21 years

Jan 29 - Three more municipal police departments have filed charges against Sheerer. Police in Manheim, ititz boroughs and Penn Township Monday have charged Sheerer with corruption of minors for allegedly engaging in sex acts with the 17-year-old girl who was a member of the band.

Warwick School District superintendent John George declined to comment on Sheerer's employment status or even if the district has begun an internal investigation.

"All personnel have the right to due process. The Warwick School District is compelled to honor those rights," George said in a prepared statement. "Therefore, no additional comments will be made until the appropriate time."

TT - There is absolutely no legal restriction on releasing information about the teacher's employment status or disclosing whether or not the district is investigating.

There is, however, a very good reason why people in the community should ask how a teacher and a student could carry on a sexual relationship for a whole year and no other educator seems to have reported their suspicions to police. The first police knew about it was an anonymous phone call.

Someone ought to ask if any educator at the school reported their suspicions to the administration.

ARRAIGNMENT Jan 31 - Sheerer arrived approximately 45 minutes early, walking hand-in-hand with his wife and wearing dark sunglasses. Durng questioning, Sheerer's wife offered her husband an occasional pat on the back as a show of support.

During Monday's arraignment, Sheerer confirmed for the judge that he was married with one child, that he has been suspended from his teaching position at Warwick High School, and that he has no prior convictions.

The key components as to why the five police departments have gone with corruption of minors charges at this stage in the investigation, according to one investigator, has to do with consent, with the age of the student at the time of each reported incident, and the fact that there is no evidence that "sexual intercourse" took place.I

In this case, police have said that an "inappropriate relationship" began when the student was 15 (January of 2006); however, nothing reportedly occurred that has warranted anything other than corruption of minors charges.

According to one officer involved in the investigation, Pennsylvania currently has no law on the books that deals specifically with sexual incidents between teachers (or adults in positions of trust) and students who are minors.

Feb 7 - A hearing has been moved to Wednesday, March 19. The school superintendent fielded questions and answers about the case.

ARRESTED AGAIN Mar 1 - Sheerer was arrested again after he bought a new cell phone, which he used to contact the girl. Sheerer was out on bail and had been told not to have contact with the girl. His bail was revoked.

BOND POSTED (AGAIN) Mar 5 - Sheerer posted $250,000 cash bail Tuesday. He was expected to return to Garrett's office to waive his preliminary hearing on corruption of minors charges in his case. That would mean his case now will go to court.

District superintendent John George that alerted police about the contact, after learning the two were communicating. Police officers then watched the young woman for three days. They also obtained telephone records, which showed Sheerer's incoming and outgoing calls.Schofield praised the superintendent for his actions.

FIRED April 3 - The school board voted unamously to fire Todd Sheerer. The board also approved an administrative recommendation to pay the victim and her family $75,000 to cover counseling costs. A statement read by the district superintendent ended with:

"We remain repulsed by the actions of Mr. Sheerer, and we deeply regret the harm that he has caused. Because of Mr. Sheerer's actions, we apologize to the victim and to her family."

PREVIOUSLY INVESTIGATED April 10 - Sheerer was previously investigated by the school district after two students reported in January 2006 an inappropriate relationship between Sheerer and a 15-year-old girl. The district administration took "appropriate action," according to former Superintendent Dr. Stephen Iovino.

That "appropriate action" included a review of policies and procedures with Sheerer shortly after the 2006 incident, according to current Superintendent Dr. John George, who added that "Mr. Sheerer and the female student both emphatically denied any improper relationship."

The two witnesses were credible.

Dr. George recently confirmed that the two original witnesses have a connection
with two school board members."Relatives of two board members were eyewitnesses to an inappropriate relationship between Mr. Sheerer and the victim," Dr. George
said, adding the witnesses (high school students at the time) reported the
incident to "school officials" in January of 2006, two years prior to Sheerer's
arrest.

The investigation, however, was inconclusive. The investigation was ultimately completed and deemed inconclusive," George said. "The school district administration at that time issued a stern written warning to Mr. Sheerer, stating that any improper relationship with any student would result in his termination."

May 23 - Sheerer was arrested again for being in contact with the girl.

OOI = Our Own Investigation, a category that includes districts that investigate but never seem to find any conclusive evidence of wrongdoing, despite their lack of trained investigators and knowledge of rules of evidence. What's worse, such districts never contact police who do have trained investigators who have knowledge of the law, rules of evidence, and have the authority to conduct a real investigation.